My Low Attention Span
Ryan O’Sullivan, Content Editor
Iwouldliketostartbypersonallythankingallofmyfavoritemegacorporations for treating me, the consumer, as a labrat. Thank you for providing me with endless amounts of entertainment presented at my fingertips. Thank you for allowingmetostoreallofhumanknowledgethroughouthistoryinmypocket,yet still making an edited video of Walter White doing a voiceover look more appealing.
WhatIdoloveabouttheinternetisthatitallowshumanstooccupythemselvesin ways humans were never capable of. Like imagine showing a caveman your rectangularboxofdeathandplayinghimaEpicRapBattlesofHistoryvideo.His brainwouldcombustinsomanywayshewouldmeltawayliketheWickedWitch of the West. However, people, specifically people my age, have become so conditionedtohavingaphoneandtakingitoutandlookingatit,thatitisnowan extensionofnotjustourbody,butourpersonality.Halfofourcommunicationis doneoverthephoneonsocialmediaratherthaninperson.Thisshowsthatthe phoneisanaddictivetool.
WhatIdon’tloveabouttheinternetishowcompanieslikeTikToktargetthe youngandmalleablebrainsofdevelopingkidsandteenslikemyself.WhileIam completelyself-awarethatIspendoverthreehoursadayonTikTok,itisstillnota healthyhabit.WhatTikTokhasmasteredistheartofbringingentertainmentto you.Severalyearsago,ifyouwantedtoseeacoolvideoofamandressedina gorillasuitdoingakickflip,yourfriendwouldhavetotellyouaboutit,andyou wouldhavetosearchitout.TikTok’suserinterfacebringstheentertainmentto
3
youasyoucouldliterallyscrollforhoursonendwithouteverhavingtoworry aboutclickingonanewvideoorrunningoutofthingstowatch.
Asayoungperson,Iverymuchvaluetheinternet,butIthinkthatsomepeople whohaveamoreextremeaddictionthanmearelosingtheirlivesandabilityto producethings.TheinstantgratificationofappslikeTikTokhaveleftuswitha chronicurgetoprocrastinate,justlikeIdidwiththisarticle.
4
Is Tom Brady Really the GOAT?
Connor Athey, Staff
ForafewyearsnowpeoplearoundtheUnitedStateshaveconsideredformerNew EnglandPatriotandcurrentTampaBayBuccaneerTomBradyorTB12the“GOAT” oftheNFL.“GOAT”isslangforGreatestofAllTime,meaninghehasdonethings thatnobodyhaseverdonebefore.TomBradywasdraftedintheyear2000and wastakenbytheNewEnglandPatriotsinthe6throundoftheNFLdraftatpick 199overall.Bradyhasbeenintheleaguefor22yearsnow,haswon7SuperBowls, appearedin10SuperBowls,andspent20seasonswiththeNewEnglandPatriots andtheother2withtheTampaBayBuccaneers.
NowthatweknowallaboutTomBrady,let'stalkaboutAaronRodgers,another contenderforthetitleof“GOAT”.AaronRodgershaswon1SuperBowlunderthe GreenBayPackersandhas449careertouchdowns.AaronRodgershasbeeninthe leaguealmostaslongasTomBrady,withAaronRodgersbeingintheleaguefor17 yearsandTomBrady22Years.
OnemorepersonwehavetobringintothisconversationisJoeMontana,another quarterbackthatplayedfortheSanFrancisco49ersandtheKansasCityChiefs. Montanahas273careertouchdownsand139throwninterceptions.TomBradyhas 624careertouchdownsandhasthrown203interceptions.
After hearing about these 3 contenders I think it's clear who wins the title of GOAT.TomBradywinsthistitleformanyreasons.HehaswonSuperBowlstime andtimeagain,andhasanamazingpasserratingontopofthat.AaronRodgersis theonlyonewhocantrulychallengethistitlebecausehedoeshaveahigher passerratingthanTomBrady,butit'sjustnotequaltoTomBrady’sstats.
5
Chewing Gum: One Piece is Never Enough
Maiya Lopez, Copy Editor
Asachewinggumconnoisseurofsorts,thetopicofgumisconstantlyonmy mind. I can safely claim to be an expert in the chewing gum world. I am constantlythinkingofflavors.Polarice,spearmint,bubblegum,watermelon, andcinnamontonameafew.DifferentbrandslikeWrigleys,HubbaBubba, Trident,andJuicyFruit.Butbyfarthemostimportantthingaboutgum:how manypiecestochew.Toputitsimply,onepieceisneverenough.
Picturethis:yougotothestoreandasyou'recheckingout,youseechewinggum amongthecandies,mintsandothermiscellaneous(useless)items.Youdecideto pickupapackfortheroad,youcheckout,andyougettoyourautomobile,eager torefreshyourmusty,rankbreath.Youopenthepackageandpause:howmany piecesshouldyouchew?
Youstartwithone.Theminty,chalky,drystickquicklybecomessomething muchmorebouncy,moist,andfun.Butit'snotenough,youneedmore.Your mouthfeelsweirdlyempty.Younoticehowbigyourmouthreallyis.Youfeel unbalanced,uncomfortable,andslightlyviolent.It'sfaintbutstillnoticeable,the agonyyoufeel.Almostimmediatelyyouunwrapanothersliceandplaceitin your mouth, quickly, and chew vigorously. At last, balance is restored and everythingisbeautiful.Youloveeverythingandeveryone.Youaren'tsoempty anymore.Youstartthecarandchewmerrilyonthewayhome.Lifeisgood.
6
He’s a 6, But He Has Good Style Eleanor Nowak, Staff
Why are men with good style so much more attractive than men without? Throughouttime,peoplehavealwaysbeenmoreattractivebasedonhowthey dressandcomposethemselves.Sometimes,whenwalkingthroughschool,you justseepeopleandthinkabouthowgoodthatshirtlooksonthem,orhownice theirpairofpantsare.Forsomepeople,thismaynotevenbeabigdeal.Yeah, peoplewearclothes,sowhat?
Thisisn’tevenabouthowrevealinganoutfitis.It’sabouthowsomeonewearsit. Ifyouseesomeonewearingsomethinginsane,andtheystilllookgoodbecause oftheirconfidence,thisisjustasattractiveasstyle.Thepersoncouldalreadybe reallyattractive,buttheycouldalsobecomemoreattractiveiftheyknowhowto dress,andknowhowtocarrythemselves.Itcouldraisesomeonefroma6toa10, easily.Havingyourownindividualstyleisalsoimportant.Ifyoublendinwith everyoneyou ’rearound,youwon’tbeasnoticeable,whichisuptoyouandhow youwanttolook.It’shonestlyapersonalpreference,butifyoustandout,you automaticallyaremorenoticeablesoyoumightattractmorepeople.Themore youlookasthoughyou’reowningwhateveryou’rewearing,themorepeoplewill gravitatetowardsyoubecauseyouautomaticallyseemmoreattractive.
It’shonestlyapreferenceofwhatyouwanttowearandhowyouwearit.Any mancanrocksomebaggyjeans,butifyou’reactuallyrockingthebaggyjeans, you 'redefinitelya10.Thisisn’ttomakeanyonefeellikeyou’relessattractive basedonwhatyou’rewearing.Nobodyshouldjudgeyouifyoucometoschool and you aren’t wearing your best outfit, because honestly it doesn’t really matter. Have the confidence to make the outfit better. If you ’ re wearing something, and you look good in it, know it. Because you do look good in whateveryou’rewearingrightthissecond.
7
A Brief Explanation of Vibrations and Frequency
Alexander Thorpe, Staff
Frequenciesandvibrationssurroundusduringeverysinglemomentofourlives. Thetopicoffrequencyandvibrationsissoall-encompassingthatitsimplyisn’t possibletoexplainitcompletelyinadequatedetailinonesitting.Forthesakeof length,Iwillonlybediscussingthemainfocalpointsofvibrations,frequency, andallthatpertaintothem.Theinteractions,implications,andlessonslearned fromstudyingfrequencyarevast,andvery,veryinteresting.
AnappropriatestartingpointforthisdiscussionistheBigBang,thesingleevent thatsupposedlybroughteverythingintoexistence.Thestandardmodelpredicts that about 13.8 billion years ago, a singularity spontaneously came into existence,andcontainedwithinisallofthematterandenergythatcomposes ouruniverse,visibleandinvisible.Whathappensimmediatelyafter,however,is verystrange.Followingthisevent,thereshouldbeanequalexpansionofmatter ineverydirectionoutwardfromthesingularity,makingaperfectlyuniform universe.But,thisisfarfromwhatweobserve.Therearemanyregionsofspace, andwithinthoseareasarevaryingdegreesofenergy/matterdensity.Sowhy isn’ttheuniversethesameeverywhere?Well,ourbestguessisthatquantum fluctuations, very tiny particles spontaneously appearing into existence and subsequentlydisappearing,influencedtheexpansionoftheuniverseandthe particleswithinjustenoughsothatsomeregionsweremoredensethanothers.
Theseslightdifferencesinenergydistributionweremagnifiedmanytimesover, withtheuniversegrowingfromthesizeofagrapefruittothesizeofagalaxy withinafewnanoseconds,expandingandmagnifyingtheslightimperfections inenergydistribution.
8
Nowweunderstandthatearlyvibrationsoccurringatextremelysmallscales areresponsibleforthecurrentstateoftheuniverse.Theseextremelysmall quantumparticlesmadeeverythingfromstarandplanetformations,galaxies, andblackholespossible,aswellasyou.
Andwiththat,whataboutus?Howdofrequenciesandvibrationsaffectusin our everyday lives? For example, let's start with something tangible and obvious.Allofusownawirelessdeviceofsomekind,eitherbeingaphone, laptop,watch,headphones,etc.Theseallcommunicatewitheachotherusing specificwavesandfrequenciesthatthedeviceinterpretsandthenperformsthe desired actions. Without the utilization of these waves, we would not have thingslikeinstantglobalcommunication,whicharguablyisoneofthesingle biggestfactorsthathavecontributedtoourexponentialgrowthasaspecies withinthelast100years.Theutilizationofinvisibleenergieshascompletely transformedourspeciesfromahunter gatherercivilizationintoacivilization thathasthemeanstoexploreotherplanets,createmodelsofouruniverse,and sendstructuresintointerstellarspace.
Speakingofprogress,thereisgreatpromiseandprogressforuseofspecific vibrationsandwaveswithinthefieldofhealthcare.Wealreadyusevarious medicaltechnologiesthatinvolvevibrations.Thislistincludesx raymachines, stethoscopes,defibrillators,andwaymore.However,morerecentresearchhas foundthatspecificfrequenciesareabletoneutralizeandevenkillhumancells.
Imagineforasecond,thatwefoundafrequencythatkills,forexample,cancer cells, or viruses, or any other life threatening ailment. This is not science fiction, this is very real and has very real implications. We have already discoveredmethodsofmanipulatingvariousbodilyprocesseswithvibrations, andthere'snoreasontobelievethatprogresswillstopanytimesoon.Wewill continuetofurtherourunderstandingoffrequenciesandvibrations,andin turn,wewilladvanceourunderstandingoftheuniverse,andbecomeamore intelligentspecies.
9
The Beatles (White Album), Track by Track (almost) Izaiah Retana, Staff
Releasedonthe22ndofNovember,1968,TheBeatles’self titledalbum,orThe WhiteAlbum,isadoublealbumcontaining30songsmostlywrittenoverthe durationofthegroup'smeditationcourseinRishikesh,India.Thealbumcovers seriousgroundoveramultitudeofgenres,rangingfromblues,proto metal,and folkjusttonameafew.
ThealbumkicksoffwiththefeelgoodrockerBackInTheU.S.S.R.,agreatupbeat openingtrackreflectiveoftherisingColdWartensionsbetweentheU.S.andthe SovietUnion.Thesoundofasoaringplanestartsthetrackoff,butalsoclosesit while transitioning into the second track Dear Prudence, an acoustic/rocker track with an arpeggiated guitar rhythm, about a reclusive woman that the groupobservedduringtheirmeditationcourse.GlassOnionisanamazingpsych rock track that lyrically references some previous songs by the group and featuresaloudervocalperformancebyJohnLennon.Thestringoutrohastobe oneofmyfavoritemomentsoffthealbum.
Ob La Di,Ob La Daisoneofthemoreiconicsongsfromthealbumandfor good reason. It's a fun song that Paul McCartney dishes out, yet it was the oppositeoffunfortheothermembersduetohisperfectionism.Inmyopinion it’saperfectlyfinesongthatdefinitelydeservestheattentionitgets.George Harrison’slyricismcomestotheforefrontonWhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps. FeaturingguitaristEricClapton,thisrockerisdefinitelythesongI’drecommend toafirsttimeBeatles’listener.HappinessIsaWarmGunisashortsidecloser thatisparthardrock,partdoo wopandoneofthehighlightsofthisalbum.
MarthaMyDearandI’mSoTiredaretwopolaroppositesongsthataccompany eachother,withtheformerbeingacutesongwrittenbyMcCartneyabouthis dog,
10
andthelatterbeingwrittenbyLennonaboutbeingplaguedbyinsomniaduring theirstayinRishikesh.BlackbirdisanacoustictracktacklingracismintheU.S., andisoneofthemorewellknowncutsoffofthealbum.RockyRaccoonisa countryballad,ledbyaragtimepianothatgivesthesongitscharm.WhyDon’t WeDoItintheRoad?isaninterestingslowbluessongwrittenbyMcCartney afterseeingmonkeysonaroadinIndiadoingcertainthings.IWillisasweet acoustic love song that is juxtaposed with the side closer Julia, a calm and slightlysadtrackthatspeaksofthelossanddeathofLennon’smother.
Side3openswiththefamousLennon-McCartneyrockerBirthday,featuringa portionofharmoniessungbytwoofthemembers’wives.YerBluesisahard rocktracksungbyLennon,andit’soneofmyfavoritesonthealbum.Sexy Sadielyricallyisadisstrackagainstthementorthatthegroupmeditatedunder duringtheirmeditationcourse.Sonicallyit’saslowrocksongfeaturingsomeof myfavoritebackingvocalsonthealbum.HelterSkelterisoneofifnotthe hardestrocksongonthealbum,beingtheprogenitorofthemetalgenre.It’s oneofthesongsthatwasthecauseoftheMansonfamilymurdersduetotheir interpretationofthelyrics.
ThefinalsideofthealbumopenswithRevolution1,abluessongthatpreaches Lennon’santiwarsentiments.SavoyTruffle,writtenbyHarrison,references thechocolatesEricClaptonateduringavisittoHarrison’shouse.CryBabyCry, one of my favorites on the album, is a rock song Lennon composed with a McCartneycompositionsplicedintotheendofthesong.Revolution9isthe penultimatetrackonthealbum.An8minuteavant-gardesoundcollage,itacts asthenecessarynightmarebeforethelullabythatisthefinaltrack,Lennon’s GoodNight.SungbyStarrratherthanLennon,it’sabeautifulclosingtrack backedbyanorchestraconductedbythebands’producerGeorgeMartin.With that,TheWhiteAlbumcomestoaclose.Whenitcomestothisalbumthereare notrulybadsongs,everytrackhassomethingtoofferandthat’ssomething veryfewalbumscaptureforme.10/10
11
