Issue Date 4•25•17
BY THE STUDENTS, FOR THE STUDENTS
Volume 13 No. 13
ACE Marches for Science SMCC Group Joins Boston Protest By Ivan Del Mar, Jack Gentempo and Ben Riggleman
Saturday, April 22, wasn’t a typical Earth Day; it was a day of impassioned activism for the sake of science. Rallies held under the name March for Science took place in Washington, D.C. and over 600 other towns and cities across six continents. While an international event, the March for Science began and gained traction in the United States, where the administration of President Donald Trump is seen by many as hostile toward science itself. A contingent from the Association of Cosmic Explorers (ACE), SMCC’s student astronomy club, traveled to Boston to join the March for Science there. The group consisted of 10 students and one faculty advisor, physics professor Kevin Kimball. Eight of the students were members of ACE; the two others were a videographer and a reporter for The Beacon. The group got up before dawn on the 22nd. Some of the greatest scientific discoveries have resulted from sleeping past noon, such as when a young René Descartes invented the Cartesian plane by laying in bed one morning and lazily tracking the coordinates of a fly via its position relative to the axes of two walls. However, there was no time to sleep in for ACE’s trip to Boston, as the Downeaster left at 6:30 sharp. (Train travel has a relatively small carbon footprint compared to travel by car or bus.) The journey kicked off with a rendezvous at the Portland Transportation Center, where ACE Coordinator Nicholas Sebastien Moll gave an impassioned reading of a recent opinion piece in The Forecaster
regarding the current tension between the public and science. According to the author, Gordon Street, the misconception that science itself is an entity with it’s own agenda has caused a large number of people to mistrust science. The article inspired the group to consider not only what they were marching for, but why. They arrived in Boston at 9:15 a.m., leaving some time to kill before the demonstration began. A detour was made to the Skywalk Observatory in the Prudential Center, Boston’s second-tallest building. The Skywalk circles the top floor of the Prudential Center 749 feet above street level, offering a 360-degree glass vantage point on the city. It was overcast, cold and damp outside. The Common, Boston’s central park, was almost deserted, which might convince any would-be protestor that the weather would be too great a deterrent for the day’s march. However, perspectives shifted the moment the group’s feet hit the ground. ACE and other marchers headed towards the Common from Copley Square, with a spring in their step despite the chill and moisture in the air. It soon began to rain, but nevertheless, upon approach-
ing the Common, the group witnessed folks flooding in from all parts of Boston, holding their signs proudly in spite of the bleeding ink. Police watched on standby, directing traffic to slow down across the major intersections surrounding the park. A brass ensemble playing upbeat music filled the Common with an invigorating sense of protest. Children were treated to a display of science experiments, and despite the wind and rain, a large group of protesters sat in solemn meditation. The band soon yielded the sound system to 15
Portland Marches in Solidarity
Avery Yale Kamila of the Portland Press Herald addresses the crowd on Saturday
By Rebecca Dow On Earth Day last Saturday, hundreds of people arrived at Portland’s very own City Hall Plaza to participate in a march for science. They held up signs showing phrases like “Don’t be a fossil fool” and “I’m with Her” with arrows pointing to a picture of the earth. I had the opportunity to attend, myself, and I couldn’t help but
feel a sense of community when surrounded by so many people who were speaking up and bringing light to some of our society’s more sensitive topics. It can take a lot for people to come out of their comfort zone and march on the streets on a frigid April day; however, the purpose was there in every soul. Every person there was participating for their own vitally important reason. As we marched from City Hall Plaza to High Street, passersby filmed or snapped pictures, cars honked their horns in support, and shop workers stood at their windows to witness the event. Once the group had made its way to the end of its route, we gathered and stood in a crowd to listen as speakers covered a variety of science-related topics. One that truly caught my attention was the speech on pesticide use by journalist Avery Yale Kamila of the Portland Press Herald. She spoke of how most of Canada has banned the use and sale of cosmetic lawn chemicals, with France soon creating its own bans. She spoke about the health impact of pesticides, how Portland is being manipulated by the pesticide industry, and how bees are coming back to areas that have banned pesticides. You can watch the
full video at the following link: https:// youtu.be/WIFfMCy8AWM. I highly recommend watching the video, for Avery extrapolates well on issues regarding the health and safety concerns many have on the topic of pesticides and their use. Getting out and attending community events such as the March for Science can not only be an educational experience, but also provide an outlet from which to further participate in activism, volunteering and speaking out against things you don’t
high-profile advocates for science. These included Gina McCarthy, who served as head of the Environmental Protection Agency from 2013 to 2017; Dava Newman, former head of NASA; renowned Harvard geneticist George Church; and Steven Holtzman, president of hearing-enhancement biotechnology company Decibel Therapeutics. Despite being an officially non-partisan rally, political concern was certainly present — and visible in many of the demonstra(Continued on Page 3)
agree with. In a world that is becoming more modernized by the day, we need to create alternate methods and practices for getting the material things we want in life. In the end, all we have is our planet. My dear readers, it is my hope that whatever contribution you may have made for the environment on Earth Day resonates with you well into the year and beyond.
Photos by Rebecca Dow
C ampus N ews SMCC’s Maine Mayhem Film Fest Hits the Screens in May By The Beacon Staff
THE
BEACON
Communications and New Media students who are enrolled in Professor Corey Norman’s Advanced Video and Audio Production Applications class will be screening their films for the seventh annual Maine Mayhem film festival on May 10. The festival will open at the Nickelodeon Cinema in Portland with two screenings, 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The films will then travel to Bangor, Maine for a May 12 showing at 8:00 p.m. They will also have a screening at the Sanford International Film Festival in September. The Beacon reached out to Corey Norman for some inside information about this year’s films, the festival’s history and what Maine Mayhem alums have gone on to do. Q. Is there a year that stands out because of the range of films created? A. Every year of Mayhem is special because every year is so diverse. It’s really hard to choose a favorite year of programming for this reason. I may sound biased, but if I had to choose, then I’d have to say this is the best year yet. Q. Can you talk about students that have participated in Maine Mayhem and have continued in film? A. Mayhem is great because it prepares students to enter the career field. Second-year alumni Justin Lacroix has been working as a sound operator on reality shows like “Survivor” [and] “MTV’s Stranded.” Second-year alumni Sean Martin has been working on a lot of feature films coming through Massachusetts, like “Ghostbusters,” “Black Mass,” “Patriot’s Day” and “Manchester by the Sea.” Second-year alumni Kenn Gonneville spent the majority of last spring following the primaries for Huffington Post. Lastly, third-year alumni Charlotte Warren is now a producer at Storyboard. The list goes on and on.
Behind the scenes on “Leap of Faith,” directed by Chris Motley
Production still from “The Windigo,” directed by Vanessa Hutchins
Q. What types of films are being made this year? A. We’ve got such a strong and unique lineup this year. There’s a religious comedy, a Native American legend–inspired horror, a documentary about online dating, a film about warring wizards, a science-fiction horror film, and a sci-fi neo-noir Western. There is literally something for everyone.
Executive Staff
Managing Editor Creative Director Art Directors Copy Editor Illustrators
Alex Serrano Troy Hudson Max Lorber Oguzhan Ozkan Ben Riggleman Daniel Elliott Vanessa Poirier
Section Editors Arts & Features Jessica Spoto Contributing Writers Kevin Belgard, Andrew Constantine, Ivan Del Mar, Rebecca Dow, Zach Drew, Ben Farmer, Katherine Ferland, David Gavitt, Jack Gentempo, Timothy Hopkins, Austin Mageles, Eric Mekkelsen, Keith Norcross, Max Lorber, Ryan Marshall, Oğuzhan Özkan, Ben Riggleman, Ian Roderick, Jessica Spoto Advisors Chuck Ott & Rachel Guthrie
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An Exhibition and Celebration for the Spring Graduates of the SMCC Art Program Lindsey Checker • Heather Cron • Marti DeCoste Cheyenne Roberts • Desiree Willette ON VIEW: Thursday, May 4 - May 5 First Friday Art Walk Reception: May 5,5-8pm Refreshments will be served
Zero Station 222 Anderson St. Portland, Maine 207.374.7000 zerostation.com
C ampus N ews
By Jessica Spoto
This past Sunday The Beacon stopped by SMCC’s community garden (behind the Culinary Arts building on the South Portland campus) to catch up with Sodexo employees and SMCC students and see how the Earth Day garden cleanup was progressing. Rachel Fisk, who is the Sodexo unit marketing coordinator here at SMCC, was kind enough to answer a few questions about the garden plots and how they are
National
Community Garden Cleanup Marks Earth Day, Start of Growing Season
April is
being used. This summer will be the second year that Sodexo has helped to maintain the plots and build some energy and interest around the garden. Fisk mentioned a photo contest in which Sodexo will submit a photo from this weekend’s cleanup to the SMCC Sodexo Facebook page. The more Likes the photo gets, the better chance it has to win. The winning prize is as healthy $3,000 purse that will be donated to The Captain’s Cupboard here on campus.
ACE Marches for Science
Portland, ACE’s vice president, Nicholas Sebastien Moll, gave his take on the experience: “The March for Science is more of a statement than anything else. This is a time that the scientific community is realizing that they cannot simply do science. They must become advocates. They must petition on their own behalf. They must run for office.” And as for non-scientists, like the ACE crew? “The students from ACE went down to Boston to show solidarity and to reaffirm what it means to be interested in
time to attend, listen, and read.
OPEN MIC Wednesday, April 26, 12:30. Join Gerry Zarrilli, who will host the annual Open Mic session where students, faculty, staff, passers-by, and neighborhood residents are invited to read their own poems.
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tors’ signs: “Get your tiny hands off my planet,” “Save the Planet, Recycle Trump.” Gina McCarthy gave a speech stressing the threat to scientific agencies in the U.S. “At a time when risks to health and well-being are growing incredibly complicated,” she said, “our leadership in Washington is diminishing investments in the very institutions that deliver the science that we need to survive and to thrive.” She singled out the president’s proposed budget, which would cut the EPA’s personnel and spending by approximately third, and which, in her words, “makes little or no investment in scientific research, including climate-change research, mitigation and adaptation.” She pulled no punches: “Actions so far in Washington have made it clear that they are not only intent on denying inconvenient science — they’re out to stop doing science, period and full stop.” Matter cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change forms. Today it is in the form of protest, but tomorrow it falls back into the hands of each of us. The ensemble of SMCC representatives that made the journey to Boston shows the unity and determination echoed by the march itself. Whether it was the videographers determined to capture the journey, the Beacon journalist intent on documenting the event, or the ACE members reaching for the stars with their Sharpie-stained poster board, every member came together in support of something they believed in. On the drowsy train ride back to
Poetry Month You still have
science in this political climate. All of the people around the world are now standing together to rise above and focus on the science!” In this he was quoting a line from the television show Rick and Morty that had made its way to the sign of group leader Ivan Del Mar: “Rise above it. Focus on science.” When Ivan was asked to evaluate the trip, he gave it four words: “Cold, damp — but inspiring.”
Thursday, April 27, 12:30 The last weekly session with students, faculty and staff reading favorite poetry. Our first 3 weeks have been lively, well-attended events with a diverse group of readers and choices of poems. Please join us if you’re free, and consider reading a poem too, at the SMCC All-Faiths Chapel.
The Science Department invites you the final Science Seminar of spring semester
Oceanic Rafting of Coastal Species
Lessons from Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris Presented by Professor Megan McCuller of SMCC and the Williams College–Mystic Seaport Maritime Studies Program Tuesday, May 25, 5:30–6:30 p.m. Jewett Auditorium, Jewett Hall Southern Maine Community College, S.P.
Left to Right: Ben Riggleman, Nicholas Moll, Ivan Pickett, Nova Witthohn, Kaden Clark, Taylor Freeman, Jack Gentempo, Kevin Kimball, and Alex Serrano
The Beacon ■ April 25 ■ 2017 3
O pinion & E ditorial How Do I Find the Perfect Career for Me? By Zach Drew
Ultimately, that is what we are all here for, right? Each of us is making that personal investment in skill and knowledge building so that we too can join the Great American Workforce. The prize at the end of line after selling back your books is to secure employment doing something for which you have prepared yourself and carry a passion around. If you are anything like me, you have been thinking about this since high school. I spend a lot of time considering what it is I am going to do with my degree once I graduate. I also spend a lot of time worrying about the “how” of finding the right
career. I recently started research on this topic, and what I found was surprising. In a March 9 press release by the Maine Department of Labor, Governor LePage said that he was “pleased to announce that the state has reached its pre-recessionary levels of private-sector employment.” He went on to say, “We must continue the reforms that have put us on a path to prosperity and not make poor policy choices that will drive workers and job creators from our state. Maine must compete with other states and countries for the people, investments, jobs and industries that will increase the earnings of our people and attract new residents to grow our workforce
and meet the needs of these employers.” What does this mean for SMCC students? It means career opportunities right here in Maine. The Maine Department of Labor website currently has a “Maineat-Work Initiative” posted. The website contains information designed to connect job seekers with employers. There is a wide variety of information available on the site, and I recommend checking it out. The workforce in Maine is getting older, and people are retiring at record numbers. This is not a phenomenon unique to Maine; it is happening across the country. What is good for us is the fact that those running the state recognize the need to keep young workers right here in Maine.
There are free resources available through the Maine Department of Labor for tuition assistance as well as job connection services. On a final note, I noticed the information provided by the Department of Labor indicated the average income in Maine rose in 2015 to just over $40,000. There is not anything available for 2016; however, I was hopeful given the trend and availability of work. So, my advice to each of you is to relax and enjoy the remainder of your education. Check out the Maine-at-Work website, maine.gov/maineatwork/jobseeker, and use it to prepare for your future.
Letters To the Editor
The Editor’s Response
I’ll admit, until my teacher told the class to spend a few minutes reading The Beacon, I had never picked one up before. First impressions were good, however there are a few things I think could be improved on. One of the big things for me was that some of the articles didn’t have much of a point to them. For instance, “How To: Grandma Chic,” or “The Mystery Machine” or the one “LEGO Batman: Better Together.” All three of these articles are featured in the Arts and Features part of The Beacon, and while I do understand why they are put there it doesn’t seem as though they have much weight to them. They seem like short little articles that were written to fill a page. “Grandma Chic” and “The Mystery Machine” don’t have much to them; there doesn’t seem like there is a reason for them to be there. They feel out of place. Maybe there could have been some pictures of students who do rock the grandma-chic look. I can understand the Batman article a little better; it is talking about how for people who grew up on the Batman comics, the movie Batmans don’t feel like Batman, and how the new “LEGO Batman” fixes that. But it still feels out of place; there wasn’t anything about that article that made an impact on me or left any real impression. In this same section there is a movie review of “Get Out” — it was below an article about a director, so it works with this part of the paper. These two articles go together because they are both about movies; the other articles that I mentioned before don’t relate to anything else in this section except for the fact that they are kind of related to the arts. The “Tech Talk” section is well put together. It only had three articles, but they had a reason to be on that page. People would like, and need, to know “How to (Properly) Backup Your iPhone in iTunes”; and the majority of people always seem to be looking for more storage on their phones and computers, so the article “Is OneDrive the Best Cloud Based Storage?” works. There is a rhyme and reason for these articles to be there; they have a point to them.
First of all, thank you very much for your critiques! Every year we get a couple of letters from Huey Coleman’s “Intro to Mass Communications” class, and they certainly help keep us to rigorous journalistic and editorial standards. The Beacon newspaper is run essentially by students. Because of a lack of
Dear Editor,
Respectfully submitted by, Katherine Ferland
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Dear Editor, I would like to tell you that your work on the newspaper The Beacon is well done. The articles are well placed, well organized, and have fairly decent headlines. The photos are sometimes a bit too small, as they don’t always catch my eye. Grammatical errors could not be found, and that tends to be something I get nitpicky about. I hope to see an article that talks about the issues regarding SMCC to balance the whole paper out. I found the advertisements to be well placed. I do indeed feel that some articles should talk about things outside of SMCC, just to make it a bit new and fresh. The front page should always be about SMCC for sure, with some other stuff near the back that talks about things not as relevant to the college. There isn’t too much I can say that I don’t like, as I don’t usually read the news. Nevertheless, I did find myself reading more than I expected I’d let myself, as I got curious on some of the topics. I like the title “Truth in Photographs.” That truly intrigued me and left me wanting to know exactly what it was about. Respectfully submitted by, Ian Roderick
Alex Serrano
From the Desk of the Managing Editor: Alex Serrano
Life at college, it would seem, is defined by what you choose to get involved in. Clubs. Work. Different social groups we find ourselves in, and who we choose to interact with. At a time in life when most people our age are unsure of the future, it helps to have a social backbone of friends to fall back on when the going gets rough. For some people, getting involved in one of SMCC’s many clubs is a familiar connective tissue between high school and college. Like science and stargazing? Try the Association of Cosmic Explorers (ACE). Interested in making and wearing costumes for conventions? You might find your folks at the Cosplay Club. Want to expand your business horizons? Check out the Business Club. Like writing? We always appreciate articles here at the
Dealing With a Breakup By Jessica Spoto
Dealing with breakups can be hard, especially when you love the person. If you broke it off, there must have been a reason, and honestly, you might regret that. You may regret breaking up for a very long time, or you won’t. You may feel refreshed, and free in a sense. Breaking up is like a fork in the road. There are two ways you can go: the damaging way, which is self-loathing and hating on yourself; or the better, more positive way, which is accepting it for what it is, dusting yourself off and moving on with your life.
interest and content, it’s always tough to balance a micro view of SMCC events and policies with a macro view of our place in the world as a college. This becomes increasingly difficult with a section like Arts and Features. While art-type events occur on campus semi-frequently, we always receive more articles about outside events or subjects that a student is interested in.
However, the second, more positive path is usually the more difficult one and even more difficult when you have grown attached to the person who will never be in your life again. They will be just a memory. Beware, though, of going down the more first more negative path. This path can lead to self destruction. Being sad, self loathing, and just feeling worthless will get you nowhere except further into the dark hole you are in. There are a couple things to do in order to direct yourself after a breakup and get to the positive path. The first thing is to write a gratitude list. Be grateful for what you
Beacon. Along with clubs servicing students with certain interests, there are also clubs focussed on folks with similar experiences. The Veterans’ Club supports veterans on campus, raising money for scholarships and holding flag raising ceremonies. The Rainbow League, SMCC’s LGBT+ advocacy group, is another one, and they often host “Queer Kitchen” events for folks with regular access to food. The point is, whatever you’re involved in now may shape the friends and interests that you count on in the future. So choose wisely, and get involved Your Friendly Neighborhood Managing Editor, Alex Serrano
have, and not for what you did have. Exercise is the next best thing. Exercise releases good chemicals in the brain, reducing anxiety and giving you more energy. The third and last thing that can help is eating better — cut out the sugars and fats in your diet. Eating healthy can also reduce anxiety and give you a lot more energy. If you ever feel like you are hopeless after a breakup, just remember there are things you can do to pick yourself up and dust yourself off. Things will get better in time.
O pinion & E ditorial
A Hunger That Will Not Go Away By Oguzhan Ozkan
Everything we do is to gain more of something: money, respect, sex, serenity, fame or ice-cream. In our tiny little self-universe, most of us limit ourselves to humble achievements, but some kids grow up wanting it all — and they are the ones who eventually and inevitably end up being ruthless administrators even though it wasn’t their intention in the first place. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the new president of Turkey, was once a man who had promised his people prosperity and happiness. His Justice and Development
Party (AKP) meant a fresh start for religious middle- and lower-class Turks. This was perceived as a threat for the other part of the society, secular Turks; and given modern Turkey’s predecessor Ottoman Empire’s long history of involvement of religion in government, their fears are justified: Mr. Erdoğan transformed into a total autocrat in the guise of a democrat. His long past with Islamic and conservative worldview replaced his progressive commitments to every single layer of society, and for the last 15 years, he gradually exercised a firm hand to control social movements. His absolute power — as has
happened to every politician in charge throughout the history — corrupted him and he gave way to the lickspittles who flocked around him to take advantage of his political clout. His intolerance grew more and more; different voices were silenced and journalists imprisoned due to their brave efforts to oppose his authoritarian administration style. Nietzsche once said, “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster, and if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.’’ Power is politicians’ abyss. The more they endeavor to gain it, the
more they sink into it. As they sink more and more, we, the common people, suffer the consequences of their struggle with their conscience. There is an age of autocrats ahead of us with the likes of Putin, Trump and Erdoğan. They run things in their countries, and they have already divided their people in half; hence, it is logical to expect disputes getting deeper and politics get dirtier later on. What will never change is man’s hunger for dominance — and some kids will always grow up to be bullying politicians.
Club Spotlight: The SPLC at A Liberal’s Guide to SMCC Getting Involved Again By Alex Serrano
The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit legal-advocacy group focused on civil rights, has many chapters across America. So after hosting a screening and discussion of “13th,” a deep-dive documentary on the history of racism in America, students may be wondering how they can get more involved. In an email to The Beacon, Dorcas Uwase, SMCC student and SPLC organizer, explained the purpose behind an on-campus chapter. “I wanted to create a space where people of different political groups and different opinions are able to actually talk to each other with respect,” she wrote. “Fighting for and bringing
awareness to social justice issues in our community and around the world is something that is also needed.” Because the club will be focused on tackling hot-button issues and racism in particular, all are welcome in order to create an inclusive and multifaceted discussion. “It’s important that we know that we don’t have to agree with someone, but we can come to a mutual understanding” Dorcas wrote. “In the fall we plan on hosting panel discussions [and] workshops that have to do with racism, such as implicit bias.” The SPLC chapter at SMCC currently meets on Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the third-floor Howe Hall seminar room (South Portland campus).
By Ben Riggleman If you’re like me, you haven’t been feeling too politicized lately. It’s been over three months since President Trump took office. At first, you felt a sense of urgency. Maybe you joined a demonstration in protest, or went to a Women’s March or found some other way to speak out against Trump. Maybe you’ve still got your pink hat. But the momentum is slipping. You try to “stay woke,” but the news from Washington has become a constant drone, a low-frequency cacophony of Tweets, bluster, scandal and outrage that puts your inner activist to sleep. There’s too much to keep straight — and what can you do about any of it? That question might seem rhetorical, but it doesn’t have to be. For my benefit as well as yours, I’ve picked out some current issues worth dialing your Senator or House representative about. First, here’s why you should call: Congressional phone lines are generally seen as the most effective way for ordinary citizens to lobby elected officials. (In January, for instance, a deluge of calls protesting Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos resulted in the Senate very nearly rejecting her nomination.) Maine’s senators are particularly important, too, since both are centrists, meaning they’re swayable — and could help decide close votes. With all that established, let’s get to the issues. First off, the national budget. If you’re reading this before April 28, a budget showdown in Congress is coming right up. That date is when the current budget expires — and if it’s not replaced, the government will shut down, as it did in 2013. Trump and his cohort want to see the “Great Wall” built at all costs, and they intend to do so by slashing funds for medical research, diplomacy and, of course, Planned Parenthood. Perhaps most importantly, the National Institutes of Health, which conduct and fund biomedical research (just stuff like potential treatments for the zika virus), would lose $1.2 billion under Trump’s scheme. Then there’s the upcoming budget for fiscal year 2018. If anything, Trump’s budget plan is even crazier. It would cut the Environmental Protection Agency by a third, both in personnel and budget.
Obama’s Clean Power Plan, unsurprisingly, would be defunded entirely. The State Department and other international programs would lose a similar proportion, and in particular, U.N. climate-change-reduction activities would lose all funding. At home, job-training programs would get eliminated, the NIH would be see 18 percent of its funding forcibly amputated, and the national endowments for the arts and humanities would disappear. Oh, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would get axed. Say ‘bye to Big Bird. Next up: tax reform. Trump is going to present his proposal on April 26, and it’ll probably be pretty bad. Regardless, the message to send here should be simple: If Trump can find it in him to show us his taxes, then we’ll talk. Senator Susan Collins, who is part of the Senate Russia investigation, said back in February she’d consider subpoenaing Trump’s tax returns to look for Russian dirt, so she should be easy to persuade on this issue. Then, of course, there’s “TrumpCare.” It sunk in the House, luckily, and wound up shelved, but it’ll surely rear its ugly head again. When that happens no Republican congressperson should have a quiet phone line. It wouldn’t hurt to call Angus, too. Finally, here’s a niche one: There are two poisonous bills before the Senate right now, House Resolutions 1430 and 1431, whose purpose is to undermine the EPA. They’ve already passed the House, and once ratified by the Senate, a presidential rubber-stamp is guaranteed. H.R. 1430, the dishonestly titled “HONEST Act,” would hobble the agency by restricting the science it can use and requiring that it all be made publicly available — while only allocating $1 million for that purpose. H.R. 1431 would bar certain people from serving on EPA advisory boards. Its purported point is to cut down on conflicts of interest — ironic, considering the current face of the Republican party — but it would simply make it harder for committed scientists (and possibly easier for industry representatives) to find a seat on EPA boards. So tell your Senators to vote these bills down. Or pick any of the issues above — whatever means the most to you — and do the same. Or pick all of them. The only thing holding you back is your cell plan.
The Beacon ■ April 25 ■ 2017 5
A rts & F eatures Chuck Berry: A Legacy By Jessica Spoto
THE DIRECTOR’S PROFILE:
David Durston
At first glance, David Durston hardly appears to be the most likely candidate to have directed one of the most genuinely transgressive and memorable horror films of the 1970s, and yet this is the well-mannered man behind legendary psychedelic freak-out “I Drink Your Blood,” among others. If not every one of Durston’s handful of efforts struck honest gold, he at the very least found his niche and ran with it. Born September 10, 1921, in New Castle, Pa. to a family already somewhat immersed in the hustle and bustle of showbiz, Durston made his feature directorial debut in 1965 with “The Love Statue,” essentially an anti-drug PSA disguised as a scathing critique of the Greenwich Village art scene. Five years down the road, the director would make his claim to fame: the
aforementioned “I Drink Your Blood,” which takes the artist’s intuitive moralism and sense of innocence and applied it to a Charles Manson-inspired horror-comedy about a gang of wayward Satanist hippies
who foam at the mouth after ingesting meat pies injected with rabid dog blood. As hilarious as it is horrific, the film remains unique when put up against its thematic kin, striking just the right balance between repulsion and self-aware humil-
ity. Unfortunately, Durston’s follow up, 1972’s “Blue Sextet,” would not be nearly as exciting; an utterly underwhelming riff on “Rashomon,” it was all but lost until recently, and one can see why. The same year brought the director’s final theatrical feature, the racially charged VD scare flick “Stigma,” and thankfully Durston allowed himself to go out with a bang; it’s (almost) as enthralling as his 1970 masterpiece. Viewing interviews with the director, provided on Grindhouse Releasing’s wonderful new Blu-ray release of “I Drink Your Blood,” it’s easy to see where the personality inherent in his best work comes from. He was a deeply funny man, and one who dabbled in the horror genre as a means of keeping up with the times rather than because of a genuine interest in such macabre territory. Though this quality is both a blessing and a curse, it gives his filmography — in all its highs and lows — a distinctive and exceedingly entertaining perspective, and one that can’t be easily shaken.
Ryan Marshall is a Communications & New Media major focusing on cinematic journalism. You can also read his writing at www.podcastingthemsoftly.com MOVIE REVIEW:
‘Kedi’
Much like the feral felines that amount to its core, “Kedi” is as pleasant and fleeting a documentary as you are likely to see in 2017, which is to say that it’s thoroughly charming and big-hearted, if not particularly confrontational. As a nice tonic, it goes down easy — effectively anthropomorphizing the animals without placing them above or below their human counterparts — and as a debut, it shows confidence and restraint in equally promising measures. Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, is home to thousands of street cats, and yet, as we are meant to see here, they are far from neglected in this environment. We spend much of the time on ground level with seven specially selected subjects as they navigate the urban landscape, fending not only for themselves but also for their offspring, and the beautifully constructed footage speaks for itself. Cinema is certainly no stranger to the cat, and this may be as close as we’ve ever been to understanding its point of view. Of course, the primary focus — aside from the aforementioned — is the connection that the good people of the city feel
6 The Beacon ■ April 25 ■ 2017
between themselves and the tricky little devils that surround them, thus providing the irresistible cuteness with a welcome undertone of inspiration, optimism, perception, and what-have-you. Although the beasts aren’t bound to any master, there are those who feel a longing for them when they’re gone; one man even found solace in
the animals after an intense midlife crisis. So you see, as wild as they may at first appear to be, there’s more humanity to the cats than there is in most actual people — a familiar message which simply cannot be reinforced enough. They collectively represent a simpler, freer lifestyle that one can’t help but envy, and it’s one that the gorgeous cinematography represents in the most positively delectable manner. While there’s no shame in a feel-good
affair with little complication, there are enough glimpses of something more tragic and understated that might leave a certain kind of viewer wanting more. It’s often so slight that it almost seems to approach emptiness, and on a technical level, it’s somewhat inconsistent; as mentioned before, the photography itself is impressive, but the excess of drone B-roll and occasionally distracting visual effects are certainly less appetizing in comparison. Ultimately it gives off the impression of the uncomfortable marriage of innovation and the unprofessional, the sign of a film with simultaneously a lot to say and not quite enough up its sleeve. Even so, where those for whom the subjects are furry friends are concerned, this is damn near essential. Reservations aside, the filmmakers (a husband-and-wife duo, Charlie Wuppermann and Ceyda Torun, respectively) should certainly be commended for their efforts, as even the softest breeze requires a significant amount of care and consideration. There are less productive ways to spend a mere 80 minutes, as well as less adorable company.
On Oct. 18, 1926, a rock-and-roll genius was born. Who was this genius, you ask? Chuck Berry was his name. His music consisted of a blending-together of blues and R&B. His musical abilities propelled his career, and in the mid-1950s, his big break came when his first single, “Maybellene,” was released. “Maybellene” skyrocketed to No. 1 on the R&B charts. He also managed to get this song to No. 5 on the pop charts as well. Other popular songs he wrote are “Johnny B Goode,” “Roll Over Beethoven” and “You Can Never Tell.” Besides his great singing, Chuck Berry played the guitar with such style. He started to learn how to play the guitar as a teenager.
Chuck Berry won many awards for his music. He won Blues Unlimited magazine’s readers poll. This award was given to him for best rhythm-and-blues singer in 1973. He then won won an award from the American Music Conference’s National Music Award. in 1976. He also won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984.
Chuck Berry died at age 90 just last month — on March 18 — from a cardiac arrest but his legacy still lives on. There have been many articles written about him; Rolling Stone, The New York Times and The Washington Post all published tributes. Chuck Berry, rest in peace. You will never be forgotten.
A rts & F eatures
From the Mind of Daniel Elliott
A Year Passed Alone By Jessica Spoto
Who needs society when you are alone. Who needs friends when you are alone. Who needs happy when you are alone. Who needs family when you are alone. Who needs everything when you are alone. Who needs life when you are alone. You need society when you are alone. You need friends when you are alone. You need happy when you are alone. You need family when you are alone. You need everything when you are alone. You need life when you are alone. Feeling alone can be the worst feeling in the world. Having no friends to hang out with and nobody to talk to can put knots in your stomach and anxiety in your chest. When you try so hard to not be alone for so long, you end up not trying anymore and just giving up. When everyone around you tells you that you shouldn’t feel alone, that things come in time but you still feel lonely all the time. When you should feel a certain way, when people tell you this they don’t understand. When you still have that anxiety because you have no one — that can truly tear you apart.
My Finest Prank By Max Lorber
Someone suggested I donate my body to science when I die. I didn’t like the idea of waiting: It could have been weeks or months or even years before I got my chance. I walked into the Clinic. Thin smell of bleach and urine and cotton balls wafting through the halls. I took a number from the receptionist, she stamped my forehead and placed a sticker on my shirt (Hello, my name is___). I sat there reading a National Geographic from 1984 for the better part of an hour before the famous Dr. Benway (the Lunch is, in fact, quite Naked) made an entrance, his signature ivory cigarette holder gripped in his teeth and a stained lab coat fitting leisurely around his shoulders. A group of seven or eight medical students followed him closely, their threeday amphetamine binge on the wane, eyes dulled and muted. Not Dr. Benway, of course— his legs were still kicking vigorously. He was certainly ready to operate. “Get your pens out, you overeducated little bastards,” Dr. Benway hissed as he strapped me down. He replaced the filterless Pall-Mall in his cigarette holder with a fresh one and lit it up. “Even though this young man seems to have volunteered himself to be some sort of martyr for our craft, this does not mean we will be gentle. I make no exceptions for my work.” He made a vague gesture over me. “Here is the body, of course, the liver is somewhere around here. Marcus! Stop
picking your nose and mark this down on your chart. You forgot your chart? Ugh. Your mother must be so proud of you. Goggles, everyone! This young man smells as if he has been drinking and blood always runs thin with whiskey. We will most likely get a splash or two when the blade touches down.” He turns to me and exhales a large plume of smoke. “Give this one a 3/4 grain of morphine. I imagine he has a tolerance.” I closed my eyes and smiled as the sound of an electric saw filled the room. When Benway and his band of students opened me up they found my internal platforms to be completely blackened and filthy like a subway tunnel. After all that time and effort putting the paperwork through and strapping me down and cutting me up, they found nothing useful. I laughed hysterically as they moved from organ to organ. I could hear one student vomiting. Most likely Marcus. I laughed and laughed— it was my finest prank. The last thing I remember was Benway dropping cigarette ash into my open wounds and cursing his horribly unsuccessful lesson. I must say, despite his fat fingers and volatile temper, Benway is one hell of a doctor. I rose later that night like Frankenstein from the abyss. Benway was there, of course, puffing a Pall-Mall and drinking scotch. There were stitches running up and down and a strong electrical current pulsated through me. Now it was Benway’s turn to laugh.
The Beacon ■ April 25 ■ 2017 7
Other World Office 365, Free By Austin Mageles
Are you a Google Docs user? Did you download free software solutions like Open Office or Libre Office so you could write your term paper? Were you thinking of purchasing an Office 365 subscription for your college career? If any of these apply to you, did you know that you get a free subscription to Office 365 right now with your SMCC credentials? No, really! If you weren’t already aware, Microsoft Office 365 is a platform-as-a-service solution that allows a subscriber to download a comprehensive version of the Microsoft Office 2016 suite, for about a hundred dollars a year. Furthermore, you also get access to web-based versions of Word, PowerPoint, OneNote and more! Interested? Let me tell you how to get started! First, on a Windows- or macOS-based personal computer, open your web browser and head to http://tinyurl. com/bv7yzpt. This is Microsoft Office’s login page, similar to mySMCC’s or Blackboard’s. What you’re going to want to do is enter in your school email and school password. This may or may not change the page to display some SMCC graphics, like our logo. I’ve had different results depending on different systems, so your results may vary. Hit the enter key to log in, and you should be brought to a page displaying various elements of the Office 365 suite. Near the top of the page, look for a rectangle labeled “Install Office 2016.” As the name suggests, this will allow us to install Office 2016 for no extra charge on our computer! Click on the box and a downloadable executable should pop up. Run the small executable, and a window should pop up stating that Office 2016 is installing. The small application is actually connected to the internet and is downloading the program right onto your computer, free of charge. Once the download and installation is finished, you should have the icons of Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word on your taskbar if you’re running Windows; or if you’re running macOS, they should be in your Applications folder. Open any of these applications, and within a few seconds you will be asked to register Office 2016. Instead of using a product key, look for the option to validate from an email address instead. Yet another sign-in window should appear, and from there, use the same SMCC credentials you used to download Office 2016. Within a few seconds to a minute, you’ll be logged into Office! If you’ve gotten this far, then congratulations! You have successfully installed and connected Office 2016 to your SMCC account. It’s awesome to have access to the entire Office 365 suite for no additional charge! Furthermore, as long as you have access to your SMCC account, you’ll be receiving updates to Office and a whole bunch more! Now you can type that essay with confidence. Just make sure to get it done ahead of time!
8 The Beacon ■ April 25 ■ 2017
TECH TALK
SPECIAL FEATURE Windows 10 Defender vs. Paid Antivirus By Keith Norcross
Choosing an antivirus solution is not the most exciting task, but picking the right one can prevent a big headache down the line. Windows 10 Defender is an antivirus service that is built into Windows 10. Since its release, Defender’s free service has consistently shaken up the market as a substantial competitor to its paid rivals. This article will compare and contrast the differences between the market’s highest-rated antivirus solutions and Defender; it will not cover free versions of paid services. Let’s take a look at the pros of Windows 10 Defender. For starters, it’s free, but unlike other free solutions it has real-time scanning. This means that it is stopping attacks as they happen to your system, or at the very least doing the best it can. Another great feature of Defender is that it is built into the operating system. You don’t need to worry about being vulnerable when you run your computer for the first time, as there is an immediate line of defense. Here is a small list of a few more great features of Defender: There are no ads, it turns itself off when another antivirus solution is installed, and it re-enables itself when another solution is removed.
If we look at some of the most popular paid services on the market, we see services like Kaspersky, Avast, and Webroot. There are many more, but these are just at the top of the list. Some pros are that they offer real-time scanning and score in the top five for antivirus software in lists from several independent reviewers. Another perk is that they include bonus features, like backup and recovery tools that can definitely make life easier when things go wrong for the everyday user. Now that it’s time to put everyone in their place, our first few swings will be taken at Defender. It ranks above the middle of the road and just below the top paid services. It’s not the best, but it is far from the worst. Defender is also rather new to the game and has yet to prove itself. There is also Windows’s turbulent past with viruses. (“Shouldn’t they make products that aren’t vulnerable to attacks?”) Next up are the paid antivirus services. The first pitfall to a paid service is that you have to pay for it! Not only do you have to pay for it, but you have to keep paying. The paid services will also give you a lot of false positives, where you will get notifications of infection over trivial pieces of software. These can be quite annoying and frustrating, especially when there is nothing
harming your computer. One more blow to all antivirus solutions, including Defender, is that they are incomplete. It is recommended that users also find an anti-malware solution to run alongside their antivirus. If you are looking for a good anti-malware solution, I would recommend Malwarebytes. The paid version gets you similar features like real time scanning and bonus features, but manually scanning for free is fairly easy, too. The dust has settled a little bit, and it is time to pick the solution that best fits your needs. I can’t decide for you, but now you should have the tools needed to make an informed decision. Windows 10 Defender is great if you are on a budget, can’t make up your mind, or are knowledgeable and cautious with your online behavior. If you don’t mind paying anywhere from $20 per year for a lower-end service, or all the way up to $60 per year for top-of-the-line protection, then a paid service might be right for you. Both have their pitfalls, but Windows 10 Defender is rapidly improving, and this only puts the pressure on for paid services like Kaspersky or Avast. Keith Norcross is currently enrolled as an information-technology student at SMCC.
Passwords: Too Complex to Remember By David Gavitt - CMPT 295 Student
Are you struggling with remembering your passwords, which are now required to be complex by many companies? The standard Microsoft password requirement has three rules: Passwords must have at least eight characters. They must contain at least two of the following: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. And they can’t contain the part of your email address that comes before the @ sign. For some, this could be a daunting task, but look no further. When creating a password, just simply think of a phrase that you like, that means something to you or that pertains to the account you are going to be using the password for. For example, let’s use the phrase, “SMCC has a beautiful campus right on the water.” Take the first letter of each of the words, resulting in “Sh@bcrotw.” Another example would be, “1 green apple a day keeps the doctor away.” This results in “1ga@dktDa.” These passwords abide by Microsoft’s password requirements, they are not easily guessed due to the fact that they are not actual
dictionary words, and they are also easy to remember due to the phrase we have used to create them. It is also important to use more than just one password for your accounts. What is the reason for this? If someone were to crack your password, they would know your login information and your password. Most likely you’d have used these credentials somewhere else, such as email or Facebook. Some may think, “Oh, I don’t care. I don’t even use my email — I have nothing to hide.” Yeah, well, if they have access to your email, they will be able to use the “Forgot password” or “Reset password” feature that will then send a link to your email so they can reset it to the password of their choice. Also, they will be able to tell what other types of accounts you have with this email, due to the old or recent mail that companies have been sending to you or updates about your page. Luckily, some companies are providing options for dual authentication methods. This would include something you have and something you know. For example, you know your password and user account information to log in; they then would ask
for an authenticator code to make sure it really is you logging in. Some companies offer mobile authenticators that will provide you with a code that will vary in size depending upon the company. For example, if you have a Steam account, there is an option to enable mobile authentication. This would mean you have to download their Steam app, which would give you your five-digit code. This is important due to the fact that your credit or debit card is often attached to such accounts. What to take away from this: Complex passwords are not as daunting as they may seem. Think of a phrase that you can recite from memory at any given time (you can alter it slightly for use with different account passwords). Use the first or last letter of each word — some capitalized, some replaced with symbols (@ for a) — and use dual authentication when available. David Gavitt is currently enrolled in CMPT 295 as a senior seminar student. Visit davidgavitt.com for more will information and questions regarding the article itself.
Other World Nintendo: The Bumpy Road By Kevin Belgard
Nintendo has always been a beloved gaming company, and it has certainly left an impact on our lives, whether we’re 40 or 15. For me, the first console I had was the Nintendo 64 home video-game console. I consider myself lucky, since I got to grow up at a time when video games were taking the leap to three dimensions. For years Nintendo led the market in home gaming; however, in the wake of the Sony PlayStation and the Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo finally got the competition it never thought it would. Sony and Xbox started gearing their software towards older gamers, while Nintendo kept its attention towards family-friendly content and the up-andcoming generation of gamers. Not only was Nintendo supported less and less by third-party developers, but Microsoft and Sony started paving the way when it came to hardware specifications in the wake of the Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo Wii. For all its glory, Nintendo realized that to make its consoles affordable for the family, it needed to sacrifice some hardware specifications. To put it in perspective, I’ve included a couple charts of technical specifications, courtesy of Paul Thurrott at Supersite. And what was even more of a letdown for the Wii was that it was the only console to not support full 1080p resolution via HDMI. All the Wii’s specifications
were far worse than those of its competitors, and although every console had one or more redesign, the Wii never took advantage of these opportunities to increase its specifications. With all that said, the Nintendo Wii was in just about every gamer’s home. The biggest reason was its price. The Wii launched at a price tag of $249.99, while the Xbox 360 came in at $279.99 for the arcade model and up to $449.99 for the elite model. The PS3 was a whopping $399 for its most basic model! With the country’s economy getting worse and worse every year, it was no wonder Americans’ console of choice was the cheap one. For all its weaknesses, the Wii stood as a competitor for Sony and Microsoft up until 2012, when the infamous Wii U was released. Don’t get me wrong — the Wii U was a marvelous console, featuring some of our favorite titles, like Mario, Zelda and Super Smash Bros. in HD for the first time! The issue with the Wii U was quite frankly and quite simply the name. Most consumers missed the Wii U and assumed that the console was just an accessory for the original Wii. By September of 2016, the Wii U sold 13.56 million consoles, making it Nintendo’s worst-selling console of all time! Nintendo survived on the revenue it made from the 3DS as well as its first party titles. No one bought the Wii U to play Call of Duty; you bought the Wii U to play the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Feature
Processor Type
GPU Type Clock Speed
Video RAM
Video Memory Bandwidth
Xbox 360
Playstation 3
Wii
3.2 GHz PowerPC with 3 dual-threaded processor cores
3.2 GHz Cell processor with 7 single-threaded synergistic processing units cores (not directly comparable to Xbox 360 processor cores)
729 MHz IBM Broadway processor with 5 execution units
ATI-based custom processor
NVIDIA-based RSX “Reality Synthesizer”
ATI Hollywood Processor
500 MHz
550 MHz
243 MHz
Up to 512 MB GDDR3 system RAM (700 256 MB GDDR3 (700 MHz) plus 10 MB MHz) embedded DRAM (eDRAM) frame buffer
24 MB of system RAM (486 MHz) plus 3 MB of embedded DRAM (eDRAM)
21.6 GBps to system RAM; 256 GBps to eDRAM
3.9 GBps
(We thought it would come out in 2013 as a Wii U exclusive; instead it was teased for 2015 and finally released in 2017 as a Nintendo Switch launch title, ported to the Wii U to appease angry Nintendo fans.) Or you bought it out of sheer loyalty, to show people that even though the Wii U flopped, you were a true fan. It’s 2017, and now we have the Nintendo Switch. It may sell as well as the Wii — who knows? One thing is for sure: The Switch was everything the Wii U was supposed to be, and it may just be the
22.4 GBps
saving grace Nintendo needs to put itself back into the limelight and mend relationships with third-party developers. Hell, if Bethesda can announce a Skyrim port to the Nintendo Switch, you know that change is on the horizon. Keep your eyes on Nintendo: Great things are beginning. Kevin Belgard is a member of the Information Technology senior seminar course and is planning on a career in systems administration.
Malware vs. Process Explorer By Ben Farmer
What if I told you that you weren’t at the mercy of how good your antivirus software is? That you could, with a little learning, search for malware yourself? We will be using a program called Process Explorer, by Mark Russinovich. Process Explorer is essentially Task Manager on steroids, without the anger issues. This isn’t a perfect method but it adds another healthy layer of security to protect your dirty browsing history from prying eyes. The first and only thing you’ll need is the program itself. It can downloaded from tinyurl.com/khpyt3n. It doesn’t require installation, so to run it, just hit procexp.exe. Once it’s open you will see a ton of information, and it may be intimidating for the uninitiated, but if you have a look around it may all make sense. However, you don’t really need to know even 10 percent of the displayed information. Now we need to add the VirusTotal column in order to compare processes with a database of around 60 antivirus programs. Click on “Options” at the top left, then hover over “VirusTotal.com” and select “Check VirusTotal.com.” It will prompt you to accept terms. After this, and a short wait, a column called VirusTotal will be added, and it will display some important information. In the new column, it will show you many fractions. The fractions represent how many antivirus programs think a process is malware. Zero out of 60 would
mean that a process is considered nonthreatening by all antiviruses that ran it through their database. This is much nicer than just asking one antivirus, don’t you think? If a process shows that there are a few antiviruses that think it’s a threat, don’t panic. Simply disconnect from the internet (to minimize the damage) and then Google the process name on a different device. It may be a false positive, so don’t immediately nuke it. You will find plenty of information on most processes. If it turns out to be malicious, you may kill a process by clicking on it and pressing Delete on your keyboard. Another feature of Process Explorer is that it color-codes all processes. Each color means something different. For example, a red process means it has just ended and will soon be removed from the list. The color we are looking for is purple. If you see a purple process, it means it is packed. A packed process is compressed, usually to hide something. There are very few good reasons for a process to be packed, so that should raise an immediate red flag. In this situation, you should also research the process name and kill it if you have reason to believe it is malware. Ben Farmer is a member of the Information Technology senior seminar course and is planning on a career in networking. He can be contacted at benjaminjfarmer@smccme. edu. Feel free to ask any questions. An online version of this article can be found at benjaminfarmer.smccme.net/beacon.
The Beacon ■ April 25 ■ 2017 9
Other World
What the Function?!
Almost universally utilized as a help feature for the application that you are using. So the next time you are in a program and don’t know how to do something, wake the “function” up — use F1! This can also be paired with the Windows key to access the Microsoft Windows Help and Support Center.
F1
So you just downloaded a file from the internet and it has a confusing name. You know that if you rename it, it will be easier to find later. It’s a good thing that F2 is on the keyboard, because that is exactly what you do with it. Highlight a file, icon or directory that you want to change the name of and press F2. Another fun fact about F2 is that if you press it along with the CTRL button in Microsoft Word, it will show a print preview screen so you know what the printer is going to be spitting out!
F2
How many times have you been in a program and realized you didn’t know where to find something? Oh “function”! It’s okay though, because F3 can fix this. You see, pressing F3 opens a search feature in most programs. For all you Apple users, F3 also opens Mission Control on OS X. And for all you future system administrators out there, remember that F3 repeats the last command in CLI.
F3
Have you every accidentally cast your browser screen in full-screen mode and lost the address bar? Don’t worry, you aren’t trapped on the webpage you are at. Press F4, and your address bar will appear at the top of your screen again. If you pair F4 with ALT, you can also close the active program on your screen.
F4
By Timothy Hopkins
not my area of study, so that’s not it. I’ll bet I can teach not youit. something about your study, so that’s I’ll bet I can teach keyboard that you don’t know, though. If you are like most students on camyou something about your keyboard that of you lookthough. at theseMost keysof every pus, youare probably spend most on of your If you like most students campus, Most you don’t know, you sinlook gle day without ever giving them a second time in frontspend of a computer, bothtime here and at these keys every single day without you probably most of your ever thought. Theya second are so powerful home. would both even here argueand thatatit’s inatfront of Some a computer, giving them thought.that Theythey are so stand at the of your the most important toolargue for a student home. Some would even that it’s in the powerful thattop they standkeyboard, at the topand of your most people are oblivious their very exthe modern era,tool andfor with good reason. most important a student in the keyboard, and most peopletoare oblivious to istence. They are yourThey FUNCTION keys! Computers helpwith us type out papers, promodern era, and good reason. Comtheir very existence. are your FUNCThe function gram help applications, organize and design puters us type out papers, program TION keys! keys issue convenient commands to more access and projects — and they connect us to the ulapplications, organize and design projects The function keysfluently issue convenient manipulate your operating system timate worldwide device, — and they connectcommunication us to the ultimate commands to more fluently access and and maapplications. go into the internet. They worldwide communipulate yourTo operating functionality with With any powerful tool, their are in many ways nication device, thea system and applications. respect to each individdigital representainternet. They are in go into their funcif you want to realize its full To ual application would to tion of each one of many ways a digital tionality with respect potential, you need to know be ridiculous, because us. We all linkofinto representation each each individual applithere countless what all the buttons do. thatofdigital by one us. Weworld all link cationare would be ridicuprograms out there there.are waythat of our keyboard. into digital world lous, because Additionally, not every With by way ofany our powerful keyboard.tool, if you want countless programs out there. Additionally, keyboard is the same, so utilizing their toWith realize full potential, anyitspowerful tool, ifyou youneed wantto not every keyboard is the same, so utilizfunctionality may vary may fromvary userfrom to user. what all the buttonsyou do.need You don’t toknow realize its full potential, to ing their functionality user Generally speaking, if the function key get a what new car andbuttons not figure know all the do.out Yourelativedon’t to user. Generally speaking, if the func(F-key) the button’s ly quickly what of out those little get a new car andeach not one figure relatively tion key isn’t (F-key) isn’t the default button’spurpose, default it’s likely that there is a “Fn” things what do. “What if someday needthings to use purpose, it’s likely that there key quickly each one of thoseI little is a near “Fn” your key and ALT buttons needsthat to be it,”“What you might ask yourself. keyboard do. if someday I needYour to use it,” you CTRL near your CTRL and ALTthat buttons pressed same at time the intended helps ask youyourself. control your digital immight Yourglobal keyboard helps needs toatbethe pressed theassame time as the F-key. Below, I have provided general a age,control and it your demands thedigital same image, respect.and you global intended F-key. Below, I have aprovided explanation of each key’s probable use Now I know somerespect. of you might be it demands the same general explanation of each key’s probable within your system for F1–F12. leaning “Check the stones Now I back knowlike, some of youout might be use within your system for F1–F12. on thisback guy! like, He thinks need leaning “Checkweout thehim stones on Timothy Hopkins is a member of the to explain us how use the this guy! Hetothinks wetoneed himletters to explain Information Technology senior seminar on the a keyboard.” toand us symbols how to use letters andFrankly, symbols course and planning on a career in database your commandFrankly, of the language that you on a keyboard.” your command management. is your own problem in and ofcommunicate the languagein that you communicate is your own problem and not my area of management.
10 The Beacon ■ April 25 ■ 2017
So you just made a change to something you did in a browser and you need to reload the page to reflect those changes. Look no further than the F5 key, because it’s more fun than the refresh button! On the flip side, say you hate everything you just did in a browser and want to refresh it with no changes retained in memory; just pair it with CTRL and your page will be refreshed and reset to its original presentation. When used within Microsoft Word, F5 opens the find/replace tool so you can make large-scale writing changes in a snap.
F5
Well, it finally happened: You clicked on too many pop-ups and now your computer is inundated with problems. Now your computer is recommending you open in Safe Mode. Wait, what? How the “function” do I do that? It’s all going to be okay. Press F8 when prompted by your computer following a restart. Just make sure you are fast, because that command flies by!
F8
This function is a nice multipurpose tool in Microsoft Office programs. For example, in Word it refreshes a document, while in Outlook it opens a tool to send and receive email. On an Apple computer OS 10.3-plus, it shows a thumbnail image of all active windows in a single workspace.
F9
Oh “function”! You hit a button and now the menu bar at the top of your application is gone! Relax, that’s what F10 is used for. Or say your mouse broke and your right mouse button doesn’t work anymore — click the item while holding down F10 and SHIFT together, and you’ll realize you never needed it!
F10
Say you’ve just spent a long and demanding day on campus, and you want to sit back and watch a movie or play a game on your computer. It would be a bummer to play your media on a small screen when you have a whole computer screen available. Fortunately, by using F11 in most modern internet browsers, you can make it full screen. Wow, doesn’t that look so much better? Also, if you are being instructed to access a recovery partition while fixing your computer, pressing F11 when instructed in the BIOS menu is a great place to start, although it’s not universally utilized.
F11
And finally, there is F12, which is packed with functionality. If you ever need to troubleshoot your operating system and boot from another device, pressing F12 when prompted in the BIOS menu will open a list of all the bootable devices on your computer so you can pick the correct one. That is just the tip of the iceberg, though. It is used in Word in many combinations to print, save and open documents when paired with the likes of CRTL+SHIFT, SHIFT and CTRL, respectively.
F12
Have you ever found yourself with a keyboard and a broken mouse? How on earth will you check your Facebook account if you can’t navigate to the address bar? How do you do that on a keyboard? Ah! Oh, wait, that’s what F6 does. Cool!
F6
Are you bad at spelling? Struggle to find the grammar checker F7 in all the different tools that Microsoft applications have? Press F7, and it will open the tool for you. In fact, I’ll do you one better: Pair it with SHIFT, and it opens the thesaurus (because who wants to use the same word all the time?). Isn’t life better when we don’t spend all our time looking for things?
So, as you can see, that top row of your keyboard is a lot more powerful than most people give it credit for. We as a people use computers because they help to speed up the way that we create, manage and interpret information. If the goal is speed, why not use the shortcuts built into your system to streamline as much as possible? I hope this article provides valuable insight on this topic.
Softball & Baseball Dean returns to Massachusetts, securing wins in three games of the four games played in the season series against the Lady Wolves. The Seawolves travel to Rhode Island and then New Hampshire to play the Community College of Rhode Island on April 26 and finish their regular away season against the Lynx of New Hampshire Technical Institute on the 27th. The home season for the Wolves ends on the 28th and 29th, when they host the Mustangs from Central Community College for four games here at SMCC. The Seawolves will end the season in New Hampshire, when they take to the diamond in the YSCC postseason championships. And on the baseball diamond: While the Lady Seawolves have rolled to an impressive record in the spring season, the men Wolves have struggled and are looking to find a winning grove as the season winds down and the YSCC Championships get closer with every passing day. Since the last Beacon, the men Wolves have won their first game of the spring season, a 15–8 rout of Massosoit College on the 17th. Five days later the Wolves notched their second with an 8-2 win against the Lynx of NHTI, which happened this past Saturday. Kyle Parmley would take to the mound against NHTI and pitch a complete game. Parmley would face 28 batters, and his stat line at the end of seven innings would read as such: four hits, two runs that were earned, two walks and four strikeouts.
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The bats for the Seawolves would become alive as the men Wolves would get to the plate 29 times, collecting eight runs on eight hits and grabbing five free passes to first on walks while leaving six men on base. Caleb Chambers would have four trips to the plate, collecting two hits (a single and a triple), while crossing the plate once. Amos Harrin, Edgar Montan and Nathan Huot would all collect doubles, as they combined for four of the eight hits and three of the Seawolves’ eight runs. The Seawolves would score in four of the seven innings played, plating two runs in the third inning, one in the fourth, three in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Both Lynx runs came in the third and fourth inning. The Wolves hit the road, traveling to New Hampshire on the 25th, then head to Massachusetts to play Quinsgimond Community College before returning home for a two-day, three-game home stand against the Central Maine Community College Mustangs to end the regular home season. The Seawolves and SMCC will host the YSCC baseball championships on May 6. Congratulations to Elle Burbank ad Amos Herrin for being named Seawolves of the Week on April 17. A thorough writeup of their accomplishments can be found on the official SMCC Athletics webpage.
The Beacon ■ April 25 ■ 2017 11
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Softball Soars While Baseball Searches for Groove YSCC Playoffs Loom on Horizon By The Beacon Staff
Since the last Beacon, the SMCC Seawolves softball team has been scorching the base paths up on the softball diamond, compiling a nine-and-two record while outscoring their opponents 106–47. Seven times the Lady Wolves have scored in the double figures, as the highest run total of the spring season topped out at 21 runs against Massasoit Community College on April 17. As a team, the Lady Wolves have sustained a .384 batting average, a .443 on base percentage and a .527 slugging percentage, and have gone yard six times over the course of the 15 games they have played in the spring season. Amazingly, the Wolves have only hit into one double play, while stealing 38 bases and being caught only four times
over the course of all the games they have played. In this past Sunday’s home action, the Wolves split a double-header against Dean College, winning the first game 10 to 6 and dropping the second game 6 to 3. Sarah Guimond took to the mound for the Lady Wolves in the first game, facing 33 batters.
Guimond would pitch the game in its entirety, allowing eight hits, while fanning 10. The game opened with Dean
College getting on the big board first and the Wolves answering in the bottom of the first inning, knotting the score at 1 apiece. The second and third innings would see the Lady Wolves plate four runs in each inning, building a lead that Dean College would never threaten. The Lady Wolves would get to the plate 35 times, with Kristen Mackenzie stepping into the batter’s box five times and collecting four hits, while circling the bases three times and collecting four runs batted in. Kahli Philibote and Samantha Rioux would have four plate appearances, score twice each and collect one hit each. Lady Seawolf Emma Burns would swipe two bases; Samantha Rioux stole one. The second game saw a different scenario pan out: SMCC would get on the big
board first in the second inning scoring once. Dean would answer, plating two runs in the third inning; the Lady Wolves would respond in the bottom of the third and plate one more run in the forth inning to take a one-run lead, 3 to 2. The scoring for the game would be finalized in the top of the fifth inning, as Dean would score four times, securing the away win.