Volume 1. Issue 2.5

Volume 1. Issue 2.5
Cover Art by Nick Millner
By Paul Vergara
Where
I Live:
Ask the average New
Yorker what he or she thinks
of the Bronx, and that person
would probably begin talking
about shootings, gangs, Jennifer Lopez, or the Yankees. There
is much more to this northern
neighbor of Manhattan than
violence, a bodacious Latina,
or a major league baseball
team. There are some neighborhoods in the Bronx that rival some of the best areas in
all five boroughs. In fact, the
whole borough is undergoing
significant change, which is
revolutionizing the borough’s
less than elegant image.
When I am asked where I live,
people are always shocked by
my response. Once people
recuperate from learning that
I am from the Bronx, they usually say one of two things. Either they tell me where they
thought I lived, or they make
the assumption that I live in
Riverdale. Riverdale is popularly known as one of the best
neighborhoods in the Bronx:
Volume I. Issue 1
26
it houses a large Jewish
community and generally
does not follow the stereotypes that the rest of the
borough is labeled with.
It is the Bronx’s equivalent
to Brooklyn’s Park Slope.
Riverdale is often the only
neighborhood that most
non-Bronxites know by
name. I proudly decline
the assumption that I live
in Riverdale, and I boast
about the fact that I live
right next to it. Being from
the Bronx has completely
impacted my personality,
and the Bronx is the place I
call home. I have a certain
pride for my borough and
especially for my neighborhood.
The Kingsbridge Heights
neighborhood is the less
fancy, but livelier, sister of
the ritzy, affluent Riverdale
section of the Bronx. Situated due east of Riverdale,
Kingsbridge Heights is a
smaller subdivision of the
Greater Kingsbridge Area.
Bound in the south by West
Kingsbridge Road, to the
east by Jerome Avenue
and the 4 subway line, to
the north by the gigantic
Van Cortlandt Park and to
the west by the elevated
tracks of the 1 subway line
on Broadway, Kingsbridge
takes up much of the Northwest Bronx. Kingsbridge
Heights, the Western part
of the neighborhood that
directly borders Riverdale,
Volume I. Issue 1
Photography by Paul vergara
Issue 1 2007
Issue 1 2007
27
is characterized by a large Hispanic population and extensive
“step streets” because of the
steep Marble Hill. Though it may
not be Riverdale, Kingsbridge
Heights has its own flare that
makes it unique.
Declared as one of America’s
Next Hot Neighborhoods by Business Week Online, Kingsbridge
Heights is steadily blossoming
into one of New York City’s hidden treasures. With a rich history
and culture, the neighborhood
has a fragrant atmosphere evident from the different types of
cuisine. Due to the large Hispanic and Caribbean population, churrasquerías ( Brazil style
steakhouses) and Caridad-style
restaurants (a chain of Dominican home-style cooking)
are everywhere. For example,
Petropolis on 231st Street, a
block away from the 231st Street
subway stop on the 1 train, also
specializes in foods from the Dominican Republic. Right next to
it is Taz Mohol, a great Indian restaurant that needs more attention than it gets. On the same
block lies Piper’s Kilt, an Irish bar
and restaurant that boasts the
best burgers in town. The nearby
Broadway Pizza & Pasta restaurant has the best pizza for
miles. There are several diners,
fast food joints, and as in every other neighborhood in the
Bronx, several bodegas. There
is also a newly renovated, upscale fresh food market, Garden Gourmet, which is located on Broadway and 233rd
Street. Its selection rivals that
of Fairway or Whole Foods,
and it carries a wide array of
cheeses, ethnic foods, and
prepared goods. There is also
a sizable Jewish and Russian
population along the border
between Riverdale and Kingsbridge Heights whose presence is clear through some
smaller restaurants and markets around the area. In all
of these locations, the prices
are much cheaper than those
in Manhattan and are just as
good or better in quality.
Kingsbridge Heights has
always been plagued with a
graffiti problem. Some find it
a nuisance while others think
it’s a beautiful form of urban
art. The graffiti is perpetually
changing, and several tags
can be seen all around the
neighborhood. It is part of
Kingsbridge Heights’s ambiance and character.
Though the neighborhood
may look unruly, there is virtually no violence in the area.
Especially as compared to
some of the more dangerous neighborhoods of the
Bronx, Kingsbridge Heights
is a safe haven. There is
also some very historical
architecture in the area:
antique homes, row houses
that rival those in Brooklyn,
and restored buildings built
hundreds of years ago.
The Temple of Enlightenment on Albany Crescent,
for example, has a circular
doorway; unfortunately, it
has been a victim of graffiti and many tags litter its
red facade. Many structures in the neighborhood
are lined in scaffolding, but
that means that there is
mass renovation going on
throughout the area. It’s
becoming a better, clean(continued on page 52)
Volume I. Issue 1
28
Volume I. Issue 1
Issue 1 2007
Issue 1 2007
29
ALBUM REVIEWS
BY BENNY LAM
Written in 2004 between
tours for the band’s first
record Fever to Tell, the
songs that were once previewed by the Yeah Yeah
Yeahs are now finally being properly released in
EP. The featured material is
more along the lines of garage and indie rock. The
songs in the album were
created during an emotionally unstable period in
the YYY’s history. Much of
ATEMAHAWKE
Porter
BY LOUIS PERALTE
Volume I. Issue 1
30
Issue 1 2007
the raw live-recording effect.
Halfway between the nighttime NYC lounge-concert
sound of Fever to Tell and the
rather mellow and laid back
tunes of Show Your Bones, IS
IS-EP will most certainly fulfill
the appetite of the YYY’s fans.
For a long time I haven’t
been able to find any music that I was really interested in. This doesn’t mean
that I stopped listening to
music altogether; it merely
implies that this is the first
album in a while that’s
been able to catch my attention. Porter, a Mexican
indie rock band, recently
released their newest album, Atemahawke. What
really makes me listen to
this album over and over
again is the fluidity of it.
The songs seem to end,
but they never really seem
to start. It’s like one of
those dreams that’s made
up of a bunch of different
dreams, but they seem to
overlap each other. I began to notice the effect
after track five, “Hansel Y
Gretel’s Bollywood Story.”
It didn’t have a solid ending. Instead, it sounded
as though it was running
down a deep tunnel and
then it changed it’s mind
and came back with a different perspective on life.
It’s something you’d really have to hear to understand. Every song seems
to have a story behind it
which adds to the dreamlike quality of the album.
IN RAINBOWS
Radiohead
BY HILARY DAVIES
The end of 2007 was
marked by a new concept in music distribution. When Radiohead
released their newest album, In Rainbows, on their
website for the masses
to download, there was
no set price. Instead, a
message appeared that
(more or less) said “it’s up
to you… no, seriously, it’s
up to you”. The prospective buyer was able to pick
the price they wanted to
pay for the album -- even
nothing. Though predicted to be a huge financial
setback for the band, the
online sale drew a considerable profit. “Oh, who
cares about the metaphorical death of the record industry, what about
the music?” the diehard
fan will say, music player
in hand and hope in their
heart. Well, my fellow music junkies, do not fear -the material is top-notch.
The
Oxfordshire-based
band drift away from their
roots within the first few
seconds of the first track,
“15 Step“, and it’s all new
from there. Though one or
two tracks are reminiscent
of their breakthrough album OK Computer (think
“Nude”, the third track on
the album), it is unlike any
I ff fffdffffff
IS-IS EP
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
that was translated into
the fundamental energy
of the songs. Despite
the dark period, the
trio (Karen O, Nick, and
Brian) still managed to
produce hooking tracks
that ensure the reliability of the YYY’s music.
The same attitude that
the New York City-based
band projected 6 years
ago is still being delivered, even after they’ve
hit the main-stream. The
songs here showcase the
group’s signature wildstyle choice of sounds
and their amazing ability
to perform live. Much of
the overcooked quality
of many studio albums
is avoided here with
I ff fffdffffff
I ff ffddddddddfdffffff
f d dfffff
I ff fffdffffff
f d dfffff
MUSIC
of their other music that
I’ve heard. The true gem
on this CD is the last track,
“Videotape”. The simplicity of the song speaks
volumes -- a mournful
piano/drum
machine
melody that haunted me
for the first week I had
the CD and that is sure
to haunt you too. I recommend In Rainbows for
both the fanatic and the
mildly interested, for both
will get something positive out of the listening.
Photography by Paul Vergara
Volume I. Issue 1
Issue 1 2007
31
MUSIC
FEATURED
Paul Vergara: Okay, Icebreaker. What do you think
of Zac Efron?
Matt Feldman: Personally, I
can’t sit through a showing
of High School Musical without feeling the need to vomit. But as you’ve just shown
me on the cover of Details,
it does show that he has it in
him to be a dapper, young,
and maybe even good actor. Maybe.
P: So before we get to the
music stuff, I’d have to say
you look quite dapper yourself. You definitely have a
very interesting sense of style.
Where do you get your fashion sense from? [Side note:
We both have extreme obsessions with Project Runway.
Unfortunately, the sight of
Heidi Klum makes us swoon
for completely different reasons. We were also inflamed
when Kit was aufed.]
M: Daniel Vosovic, Santino
Rice, Daniel Baume, Jeffrey
Sebelia, and I guess Wolverine from the new season
[AKA Kevin Christiana]. No,
Photography by Morgan Cady-Lee
Interviewed by Paul Vergara
Volume I. Issue 1
32
Only one person in this world is allowed to ride a scooter on
a regular basis and not look completely ridiculous doing so:
Matt Feldman. Junior “Music Major” Matt is often seen coasting along the sidewalk on Rosie, his faithful Xootr Venus kick
scooter. Matt is seldom without a can of Arizona Iced Green
Tea in hand. Though he has to balance time being a musician, fashionista, and avid worshipper of Project Runway, he is
extremely laid-back despite his very busy schedule. Perhaps
that’s why Rosie comes in handy. Even scheduling this interview with him was difficult: it was conducted in the back row
of Senior Chorus while listening to a recording of the ensemble
in the Semi-Annual Concert the week before. The interview
began as I handed him the latest issue of Details magazine
with Zac Efron on the cover, and the rest was history.
Issue 1 2007
seriously, I guess that when
I started developing my
“look,” as you would say,
it came from looking
around, seeing what was
and what wasn’t, and just
taking what I liked from my
environment.
P: Nice segue into your
musical style. Is it heavily inspired by what’s out there
like your clothing style is?
M: I mean… anyone who
denies that they are inspired by what’s around
them is an idiot. Even subliminally, your surroundings
get to you. Now, does
that mean that my next
song will have the words
“’brella…’ella… ’ella… eh,
eh?” Nah, but I certainly
have a myriad group of
influences from the Beatles to soulful indie acts like
the Cold War Kids to tween
pop and dance punk and
old school rap. I mean, the
list goes on.
P: Well, as we sit here in Senior Chorus, would you say
that your classical training
in voice, your crazy piano
skills, and that musicallyinclined boarding school
you used to go to as a kid
have also shaped your
style today?
M: Well, fashion wise, the
shirts and ties and that
whole svelte look will never
leave my vocabulary. Music wise, my personal music is all over the place, I
mean, my band has gongs
and a French horn player!
My classical training really
did prepare me for what’s
up in the musical process,
from writing and composing to rehearsal, stamina
and just having the balls to
get on stage to sing and
play.
P: Tell us about this band you
just mentioned and the odd
inspiration for its name.
M: Well, as of now the project is mine. My players, and
may God bless them, have
the busiest, jam-packed,
professional schedules I’ve
ever seen. It features me on
guitar and piano, Lily “Bessie” Bernstein on French horn,
and Joanna “Slim” Sternberg
on double bass. I’ve also
worked with Kane Dulaney
Balser and Mason Taub. We
all pitch in with percussion.
We’re called F.X. Feldman
and the Imaginary Friends
since it’s almost like they’re
not there since they’re so
busy.
P: F.X., eh?
M: My full name is Matthew
Fang Xiao Feldman; F.X. Feldman is my stage moniker.
P: It’s easy to forget that
you’re actually part Asian
considering your last name.
Would you ever consider
adding an instrumentalist
who plays the Chinese Violin
like the one who is always on
the Uptown 1/2/3 subway
platform to your already diverse band?
M: Well, if I were a player
who worked, why not? I love
eclectic sounds.
Volume I. Issue 1
Issue 1 2007
33
“
”
the go(o)d father
P: So if we were to listen to
one of your songs, what
would we hear? What are
some emotions we may feel?
Is it like any other bands out
there? If so, which ones?
M: What a question! It’s difficult to answer that. I mean,
in terms of genre, half of our
stuff is pretty straightforward
or smart songs with a message, hopefully. I mean, I dig
into crazy stuff, but I still hope
to convey the messages
the same way. How should
you feel? Well, however you
want to, I mean, I can’t tell
you how to do that. I’ve
been compared to everyone from Belle & Sebastian,
Lou Reed, Noah and the
Whale, and others. I mean,
feel good, if anything.
P: What would you project
the future of your band as?
And when may we be able
to see you perform live?
M: Well, I’d like to record
an EP when we’re tight
enough, and maybe even
an album, but the future only
knows. We’ll be playing at
Volume I. Issue 1
34
Issue 1 2007
He ran into the closing doors at
215th Street right as the familiar dingdong sound played over the train’s
loudspeaker. The guy was wearing
the most interesting of hats: a toddler. Now, many fathers carry children
on their shoulders but I’ve never seen
a father, or a mother for that matter, carry a child on his or her head
like one of those African women with
buckets atop their noggins in pictures.
LaGuardia’s Relay for Life
on March 29, and all other
gigs will be posted on my
Facebook Music page.
P: Where can we find your
Facebook Music page?
Do you also have a Music
Myspace or the like where
we can track what you’re
up to?
M: Mmhmm. We have
a Facebok page titled
“F.X. Feldman” and the
link is on my personal Facebook page. It can also
be found at http://www.
facebook.com/pages/FXFeldman/18529184328. My
music myspace is http://
myspace.com/fxfeldman.
P: One last thing… are you
single?
M: Yes.
P: Do you like the way I just
turned this into a personals
ad?
M: Well, you asked me a
question and all I did was
answer.
by Paul Vergara
Check out Matt Feldman’s
music at:
Art by Gwendolyn Kehrig-Darton
Facebook
http://www.facebook.
com/pages/FX-Feldman/18529184328.
MySpace
http://myspace.com/
fxfeldman
As he walked onto the
train, he thanked the group
of Hispanic teenagers that
held the door open despite
the conductor’s furious commands to release it. He found
a decent spot with two empty spaces near the window.
He took his daughter off of his
head by lifting her up and almost knocking her own head
on the ceiling. As he did so,
his actual cap slipped off
of his head revealing a spot
where his thinning hair was
slightly balding. He placed
his daughter in one of the
orange seats and he took
the seat right next to her a
second later. He was probably in his mid-30’s, but
he still had a very young
face behind his 5-o’-clock
shadow at 8-o’-clock in
the morning. It was clear
that he was the most attractive kid in school fifteen
years ago and he was aging gracefully. He wore a
bright blue polo that uncannily matched the color of his
eyes. His daughter, on the
other hand, looked the opposite of him: she was very
tan, had dark brown hair,
and eyes that shone when
Volume I. Issue 1
(continued on page 52)
Issue 1 2007
35
FIND THE HIDDEN OBJECTS
2
Wii Frontman Guitar
1
A stylish guitar controller made
just for the Wii. When you come home
after a long day of school and you
just want to play guitar hero or rock
band, the bright yellow and contrasting black are perfect for brightening up anyone’s day. ---Harlie Brindak
MediaStreetís solar-powered
portable media player
3
For those who’ve
been holding out for
the good stuff in the
way of portable Nintendo (or those of you
who are rich enough
to have more than one DS), it has
not been in vain! Two bundled Nintendo DS systems are out. One, gold
with a tri-force logo (bundled with
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, naturally!), and another, shiny
pink, with a paw print (bundled with
Nintendogs: Best Friends) are $150 a
piece! Pretty sweet. ---Mary Turgeon
Issue 1 2007
4
Courtesy of www.kotaku.com
Taser MP3 Player
To be honest, I think this is
the most ridiculous piece of technology on the market. However,
all you people out there who are
true 80’s rockers at heart, would
definitely be interested in this leopard print MP3 player disguised as a
taser gun… Or, is it a taser disguised
as an MP3? In any case, it comes
with a whole 1 GB of memory!
The perfect unnecessary accessory, ready to buy. ---Harlie Brindak
Volume I. Issue 1
36
Nintendo DS Lite
FIND THE HIDD
Finally, something so awesome
that it’s not even certain if it’s for real!
Cheap plastic junk or awesome tech of
the future? It’s MediaStreet’s 1GB eMotion
solar-powered portable media player,
already being shipped out for 169 bucks
a pop. The unit is supposed to be able
to offer Nintendo emulation via SD card
(as well as simulate a good deal of other
game formats), transfer music, photos,
videos, and games on and off the player,
support music formats MP1, MP2, MP3,
WMA, WAV, ADPCM, and AMR, play videos with AVI format, view JPEG, BMP and
GIF photos, support TXT format (allowing you to read books), and somehow
that’s not all. Because the biggest buzz
is around its ability to provide solar power
not only for itself, it allows you to charge
other devices by plugging them into it.
MediaStreet, Inc. is an awardwinning manufacturer and developer,
so it certainly seems that this could be a
device full of possibilities. If it’s true, my
only qualm would be the 1GB capacity. I
have a smaller-than 2 x 3.5 x .5 MP3 player
that can hold 8 gig, and here, this 5.5 x 3
x 1 thing has only an eighth that memory.
But maybe they will further
develop this product, like the iPodfranchise, into an even more capable
device. Only time will tell; a crappy
cliché that is all the more irritating because of how true it is most of the time.
---Mary Turgeon
Courtesy of www.gizmodo.com
Courtesy of www.gizmodo.com
Volume I. Issue 1
Courtesy of www.gizmodo.com
FIND THE HIDDEN OBJECTS
Issue 1 2007
37
FI dddND THE HIDDfd
DOMO ARIGATO,
MR. ROBOTO
accessorize
your gadgets
Robots are also abounding! A robot convention, CES 2008,
revealed an astounding amount of
new, fun technology. Will they go insane and take over the world? I do
not know for sure. Have to admit,
though, that most of these seem
to be for kids, and rich kids at that.
Boomwave has put
out some cute iPod Nano skins,
with floppy dog ears and tails
with a kind of creepy back
story, the tagline being: “A
new breed of protectors has
arisen!” Not just risen but arisen.
Classy. Coming in white, black,
red, and pink, they go by the
names, Spitzer, DoggStarr, BludHound, and uh… Bichpoo, respectively. I’m sure you don’t
have to call them by their proper names. They’ll just use their
cybernetically-enhanced-killerbeast-powers to kill you if you
don’t (I’m not just making stuff
up here, read the description).
I’m not sure whether
the small, eye-like details on the
back of their heads are indeed
eyes, but it kind of freaks me out.
But hey, they come with
ridges for excellent rubbergrip action. ---Mary Turgeon
Mr. Clock Radio, by Geewiz Entertainment,
costs one cent short of 100 bucks. Perhaps a bit steep
for an alarm clock (hey, you’re probably just gonna
throw it at the wall anyway!), but he makes up for it with
apparently witty repartee. He comes with about three
hundred different wake-up messages, a line-in jack
(making him usable as a speaker set) and flashing lights.
iRobiQ by Yujin Robot has been in development for a good while. It seems to be pretty handy;
its 7-inch LCD screen displays news, weather, cooking
recipes, photos, and videos. You can even sing karaoke with it! Furthermore, you can command it vocally for some jobs. It is able to send images to a cellphone, clean a room when paired with one of those
weird Roomba vacuuming devices, and even read
books (to you, I’m assuming, but hey, a literate robot
would be interesting, to say the least). It’s not expected to be distributed in the U.S. anytime soon, though.
Volume I. Issue 1
38
All photographs provided by www.
gizmodo.com
In a somewhat I, Robot scariness, there is Zeno by David
Hansen. Still in prototype stages, Zeno looks rather… disturbing.
Now, what did I mean by that first line? Zeno is able to talk, recognize faces and detect specific sounds, as well as be user upgradeable via an online community, with which he can remain
wirelessly connected to. Not that I’m paranoid or anything.
Issue 1 2007
---Mary Turgeon
FI dddND THE HIDDfd
Reaching the unreal
valley, we find the final
WowWee product in this
here lineup: FemiSapien. Coined as Robosapien’s girlfriend, when
the two interact, they
apparently carry on like
a couple. Like the older
Robosapien, FemiSapien
is able to dance, move,
sing, and carry out other
motions. It is able to control
Robosapien, but Robosapien is not able to control
it (oho, haha, very funny).
Courtesy of www.boomwave.com
Meanwhile, GelaSkins
is responsible for a large selection of skins for a large selection of iPods. You can also
get skins for some laptops
and phones, and wallpapers
to match these various skins.
Once again, pretty sweet.
The skins themselves
contain really amazing, artsy images that are mostly abstracted
with interesting landscapes and
disturbing characters. There are
many different colors, and there
is something for everyone, guaranteed. Well, maybe not guaranteed. But that’s just for pessimism’s sake. ---Mary Turgeon
Courtesy of www.gelaskins.com
Volume I. Issue 1
FIND THE HIDDEN OBJECTSjffff d
Issue 1 2007
39
A R T
ART OF THE BRICK:
FIND THE
gggggOB ECTSjffffv v
and the two-dimensional
shadow hanging on the
wall by the tree shows
Sawaya's ability to work
with both flat and threedimensional
surfaces.
Nathan Sawaya's
art has the rare ability to appeal to everyone; children
will find that their favorite
toys have taken on new
dimensions and meanings.
Adults will marvel at the
artist's ability to combine
artistic skill with playfulness. These sculptures are
a truly modern approach
to art, and I will certainly
be keeping an eye on this
artist and any exhbitions
he may have.
Nathan Sawaya
by Maria Plotkina
Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge
is reproduced very faithfully,
down to the smallest details
like roadways and cables.
Sawaya's sculpture of a
tree and its shadow was
probably
my
favorite
from the gallery. It is both
graceful and detailed,
THEh
Volume I. Issue 1
Photos courtesy of www.brick-artist.com
Issue 1 2007
o fdj
Volume I. Issue 1
and apples into 7-footlong models of the Brooklyn Bridge. Thirty of his most
interesting pieces are currently on display in the Art
of the Brick exhibition tour.
Unfortunately, none of the
shows are taking place in
the New York City area.
As I was browsing the gallery on Sawaya's website, www.brickartist.com, several pieces
caught my eye. One was
a replica of the infamous
photograph of five men
raising a flag on Iwo Jima.
The sculpture showed extreme attention to details
and human gestures. The
plastic model appears
very life-like and realistic.
Another was the abovementioned model of the
I
At first, it may
seem like the photographs
of Nathan Sawaya's art
are simply overly pixelated and of bad quality. However, if you look
closer you'll see that the
artwork itself is made from
tiny bricks of various sizes
and colors. LEGO bricks,
to be exact. Those very
blocks we all spent countless hours playing with as
children have been collected and turned into
magnificent sculptures by
Sawaya, who has been
working in his New York
City studio since 2002.
Nathan Sawaya's love for
LEGO blocks began during his childhood, and his
creations evolved from
simple things like houses
40
Issue 1 2007
41
GAMES
V.S.
courtesy of gaming.hexus.net
By Jesse Sussman
Guitar Hero III is an average game. It is fun and
enjoyable, but there is
nothing new in the Guitar
Hero formula. The setlist is
pretty generic, and they
put many mainstream
songs into it in order to
get a wider audience to
purchase the game. However, it does still carry over
the magic which made
the Guitar Hero franchise
famous. When compared
to Rock Band, the guitar
is much better in Guitar
Hero. Guitar Hero III has
a much higher difficulty
level than Rock Band, and
hammer ons and pull offs
are easier. If you are unfamiliar with the game, hammer ons and pull offs are
when you simply press the
buttons without strumming
(strumming is when you
go up and down). Guitar
Hero III has a much better
single player experience
than Rock Band. If you are
mainly going to playing by
yourself, get Guitar Hero.
It is much more of a challenge than Rock Band but,
it does not share the same
multiplayer experience that
Rock Band has.
Guitar Hero is especially
great if you have an Xbox
360, because you can play
on Xbox Live against other
people. You can do face
offs, which are competi-
tions on a song, or battles.
Battles are fun and do
something new for the
franchise. You can break
other people’s strings (one
of the buttons will not work
until you repeatedly push it
about 6 times), make it so
that your opponent cannot play unless they hit the
whammy bar a couple of
times, change the difficulty, double the notes,
or even make your opponent play lefty mode.
Lefty mode is incredibly difficult unless you
can play with a mirror
behind you which is a
way to cheat out of it.
You can also play these
multiplayer modes on a
local console.
In the end, I would recommend Guitar Hero
over Rock Band mainly
because it is cheaper;
you can probably find
a Guitar Hero 2 controller if you’re getting it
for Xbox 360 for about
20-30$ and the game
itself for $60. Rock Band
costs $184 after tax.
If you don’t want to
spend that much for
Guitar Hero 3, get Guitar Hero 2. I personally
wouldn’t recommend it,
however, if you’re going
to be playing it by yourself because although
there is a wide variety
of instruments- drums,
microphone, and guitar- it’s no fun and not
a challenge by yourself.
like 2 more because in
my opinion the setlist
is better, but it really
depends what kind of
music you like. Rock
Band is an incredible
game when you have
all 4 people playing it at
once, it reallydoes feel
like you’re in a band. I
Volume I. Issue 1
42
Issue 1 2007
Volume I. Issue 1
courttesy of media.gwn.com/hardware_reviews/
Image courtesy of phuze.com
Issue 1 2007
43
GAMES
WiiFit
by Rio Nose
The Wii Fit™ is a
new Nintendo® software
for the Wii® designed by
the makers of Wii™ Sports.
It is a game software using
what is called a "balance
board" to perform over
40 different kinds of activities to keep your body in
shape. It's a fun way to stay
active and you can compare your progress with
those of your family members and you don't even
have to go all the way to
the gym to work out! With
the choice of muscle training, yoga, balance challenges, or just some fun
games, you can spend
your time on a rainy day or
your weekend doing something good for you body.
For muscle training, you have the choices
of push ups and sideway
balance workout, twisting workout, squats, arm
and leg raises, and 11
other activities to work
Volume I. Issue 1
44
Issue 1 2007
your muscles. The game
explains the workout very
clearly and you use the
"balance board" to determine whether you are
doing each one correctly.
For yoga, there
are 15 different poses to
choose from, from the
tree post to the shoulder
stand.
Some of these
poses do not require the
use of the balance board.
The "teacher" describes
Ski, meditation, tightrope
walking, heading, etc.
Some activities require a lot
of moving while some just
need patience and slow
movement. For example,
when you play soccer, you
have to hit the soccer balls
with your head. You stand
on the "balance board"
and move your head from
side to side. However, you
must pay attention because after a while, things
such as shoes come flying
towards you and you must
avoid them. For medita-
each pose clearly and
tells you which part of your
body each post works out.
The Wii Fit™ includes 9 balance challenges, such as Balance
tion, you must sit on the
balance board. There is
a candle on the tv screen,
and if you move too much
the fire blows and the
game is over. One thing is
for sure for this section, all
of these activities require
a lot of concentration.
There are also
9 fun games to choose
from, such as hoola hooping dancing, and simple
exercises like jogging and
boxing. Jogging only requires the wii remote; you
put it in your pocket and
run in place. You can
change the channel because the distance you
run is determined by the
wii remote. You can enjoy
different scenes from different places while jogging.
So what is this "Balance Board" we speak
about? There are 4 little
censors in each corner of
the balance board, and
when force is applied to
the board, it measures
weight; it is similar to a
scale, the censors in the
board are the same censors used to measure the
weight of trucks and planes.
The game includes one "Wii Fit" software, one balance board,
and batteries for the balance board. It is a one
player game. You can
change the levels in the
Wii Fit™, and you can save
up points to get new activities. You can save up to 8
people, and you can even
check your data without
inserting the disc because
you can save it onto your
Wii Menu. Using your BMI,
gravity
balance,
and
knowledge of training, the
Wii Fit™ determines your
"Balance Age". You can
check your progress in "balance age" on one of your
graphs. The younger the
age, the better!!
PHOTOS COURTESY OF: (BELOW) WWW.FUTUREOFWII.BLOGSPOT.COM
(UPPER RIGHT) WWW.VIDEOGAMES.TECHFRESH.NET
(UPPER LEFT ON OPPOSITE PAGE) WWW.ABOVEAVERAGEHEALTH.FILES.WORDPRESS.COM
(BOTTOM RIGHT ON OPPOSITE PAGE) WWW.TRUSTEDREVIEWS.COM
Volume I. Issue 1
Issue 1 2007
45
GAMES
super smash bros.
by Louis Peralte
“Expect the same game with
better graphics and more
characters and stages.”
In 1999 I was a lad
of merely seven years of
age. One day, I begged
and pleaded with my
parents to purchase me
a new video game. After much groveling they
finally gave in and took
me to the nearest store
where games could actually be purchased. Still not
knowing what I wanted, I
browsed the store for the
box art that intrigued me
the most. This was how I
made my selections back
in the day. Finally, I found
it! The game I wanted. The
box was definitely interesting enough. It had several different characters
pummeling the lives out
of each other on it and in
the bottom right corner it
had the catchy phrase,
“DUKE IT OUT!” I could
have never guessed that
what I held in my hands
was going to take up a big
chunk of my childhood
and adolescence: Super
Smash Bros. for the N64.
I didn’t have to wait
long for the next installment to be released. To
be frank, the wait was
only about two years
long. Super Smash Bros.
Melee for the Nintendo
Gamecube was released
in 2001. Like the rest of the
world I snatched up the
game immediately. So
Volume I. Issue 1
46
Issue 1 2007
much had changed from
the last installment. The
graphics, the gameplay,
the overall quality! Of
course, I was in love. It was
as though the girlfriend,
that I already loved, got
an amazing make-over
that made her even more
incubated. They didn’t
want a premature game.
Now, after years of anticipation and waiting, only
a few months remain. If
it weren’t for Nintendo’s
mind games the Holy
Grail of gaming would
be in our grasps this very
moment. The initial release was going to be in
mid-December, but Nintendo thought this was a
bad time to release their
juggernaut so they delayed it to early February.
Courtesy of www.britishgaming.co.uk
attractive. Sadly, that
was about it. It was the
same game, but prettier.
I, along with the rest
of the world, anticipated
another short wait for the
next game. Shockingly, this
was not so. It’s been seven
years now and the new
installment, Super Smash
Bros. Brawl hasn’t reared
its ugly little head. At first
gamers were patient because they wanted the
game to be completely
Again, their timing was off
so another delay seemed
to be the right choice.
Now, all of us have to
wait until March 9th, 2008
to wrap our greedy little
fingers around the box.
Expect the same game
with better graphics and
more characters and
stages.
Getting to know the
MACBOOK AIR
Aesthetically, the MacBook Air
is any computer geek’s goddess. It is the
thinnest laptop to date and weighs a
mere 3.0 pounds. It exceeds the expectations of any ultra-thin, ultra-portable device with a spacious 13-inch display and
a built-in, full-size keyboard. The backlit
keyboard has an ambient light sensor to
automatically adjust both the brightness
of the screen and keyboard so that users can work in the dark without strain.
As for the speed of the laptop, the MacBook Air is not particularly mind-blowing
but still very compatible: it has an Intel
Core 2 Duo processor and a 1.6 GHz chip.
Like all of Apple’s previous laptops, the
MacBook Air has a built-in AirPort and Bluetooth. Users can continue to take goofy
pictures of themselves on Photo Booth using the laptop’s built-in camera or make
videos using the built-in microphone as
well. Basically, this laptop offers everything the company had to offer before
and more. Its touchpad now supports
multi-finger gestures in which you can use
gestures like the three-finger sweep for
backward and forward in Safari, or using
two fingers to rotate an image in iPhoto.
As for the battery life, Apple
promises that the MacBook Air can with-
stand 5 hours of wireless productivity.
However, in actuality, users claim that
the laptop can only hold out for a measly 2-3 hours on regular usage. Different
circumstances such as the use of backlight can alter its battery life, so don’t
take this information too scrupulously.
Really, the only true downfall of
this laptop is that it doesn’t include a builtin drive, so in order to burn discs or directly
insert CDs or DVDs, you need to pay an
extra $99 and get the external USB SuperDrive separately. To transfer and install files, Apple instead featured Remote
Disc, which allows the user to share optical drives of networked Macs and PCs.
The MacBook Air may not be
perfect for everyone but for frequent
travelers with a need for a lightweight,
ultra-portable laptop, it gets the job
done. Starting at $1799, the MacBook Air
is only limited to those can afford to buy
it, so for the rest of us who already own
fully functioning laptops, it’s unnecessary to purchase. Still, the MacBook Air
undoubtedly sets a new standard and
opens a new, innovative scope for future portable devices to come. We can’t
wait for what more Apple has to offer.
---Jaime Sunwoo 47
Issue 1 2007
Volume I. Issue 1
by Mary Turgeon
The Adventure Begins
FIND THE HIDDEN OBJECTS
By Annais Rittenberg
FIND
= green eyeball
= top hat
= stinger
= gold tooth
= earring
= fetus
= car
= American flag
= moon
Volume I. Issue 1
= technicolor
flower
Volume I. Issue 1
= ring
48
Issue 1 2007
= warty nose
Issue 1 2007
49
pictures courtesy of Benny Lam; drawn by the students of LaGuardia
Volume I. Issue 1
50
Volume I. Issue 1
Issue 1 2007
Issue 1 2007
51
CONTINUATIONS
Can You Ever Go Home
Again? (The Homecoming
and Crimes of the Heart)
and independent life. Their
strength comes from their
unity.
Kathleen Turner directs Crimes of the Heart at
a brisk pace, but allows the
actors to have their individual moments. The acting is as strong all around
as the chemistry between
the characters. One truly
senses the familial bond
that has kept these sisters
together. The set, designed
by Anna Louizos, is quite
bright, cheery, and filled
with the domestic touches
that indicate the house has
been lived in and cared
for. This contrasts with the
decrepit and barren set of
The Homecoming, which
resembles a house on
the verge of being condemned.
Furthermore,
Crimes of the Heart gives
the audience the sense of
a close-knit town of busybodies with everyone on
top of one another. The
exact opposite is true of
The Homecoming which
evokes a sense of alienation from life in the rest of
London.
What comprises
a home? Can one ever
escape from home? Can
one ever return? These are
the inevitable questions
that arise after seeing these
two productions. Whether
the choices are a home
without women or a home
without men, a home of
despair and disunity or
a home of improbable
hope, it is worth the trip to
see these two provocative
plays to find your own answers.
Volume I. Issue 1
52
Issue 1 2007
Where I Live: Kingsbridge
Heights
er place to live in.
Much of the neighborhood is quiet and residential. There are many apartment buildings and antique
two or three-family homes
along the small streets of
the area. There are some
places that look like suburbia. Several parks can be
found and many people
are seen jogging around
the massive Jerome Park
Reservoir which was once
home to the Belmont
Stakes. Several schools can
be found on the eastern
side of the reservoir such as
Lehman College, De Witt
Clinton High School, and
the Bronx High School of
Science. There are many
well-rated elementary and
middle schools in the area.
There are many scenic areas in Kingsbridge Heights.
Situated on a hill, there are
great views of neighboring Riverdale, the northern
tip of Manhattan, and the
Harlem River. At the border
of the Bronx and Manhattan lies River Plaza, a relatively new mall that houses
a Target, Marshalls, and
Starbucks, among others
retail stores. The Broadway
Bridge right next to it goes
into Inwood, the northernmost
neighborhood
in Manhattan. From this
vantage point, one would
see the most magnificent
views of the Henry Hudson
Bridge where the Hudson
and Harlem Rivers connect
as the 1 train rattles above
on the second level of the
bridge. The George Washington Bridge can be seen
in the distance and is especially beautiful at night.
On sunny days, light shines
through the buildings and
trees and is especially
magnificent.
The Kingsbridge Heights
neighborhood is not what
people expect from the
Bronx. It has so much to
offer, yet nobody ventures
up north to discover this
amazing community. At
least the residents Kingsbridge Heights can keep
it all to themselves instead
of sharing it with everyone
else. I invite you to hop
on the uptown 1 train and
see Kingsbridge Heights for
yourself.
Subway Stories: The
Go(o)d Father
the light from the rising sun
hit them. Either she got that
all from her mother, or she
was adopted. She almost
immediately fell asleep
with her left thumb in her
mouth and laid her head
onto her dad’s lap. He
kept her close and held her
from falling or kicking the
woman next to her. The
woman he was trying to
make his daughter avoid
kicking then engaged in
deep conversation about
parenting with him, and
somewhere in the mix,
she spoke the words “You
are such a good father.”
I am not completely sure
what characteristics a man
must have to be a good
father. A woman can lug
three unruly children onto
a train peacefully, preferably at least one in a stroller,
yet never be considered a
good mother. One man
even moderately keeping an eye on an obedient child warrants at least
one person to say “Oh
my, you’re such a good
father.” But what really
makes a good father, and
why do those traits differ
from being a good mother? Shouldn’t everybody
be good parents? Perhaps
traditional gender roles are
still resonant in the minds
of the people in today’s
society. A woman should
be the nurturing caregiver
while the father is supposed to be the stern, laconic disciplinarian. Once
those roles are switched,
especially for men, there is
a completely different attitude towards the person.
It is almost sad that it happens. On the other hand,
a genuinely good father
is easily distinguishable.
This father seemed different. He would smile along
with his daughter when she
waved hello to other pa
ssengers once she woke
up and looked at everyone. He then took out a
selection of books from his
bag from which she chose
a book titled “Sekiller,”
which means “shapes” in
a foreign language that
was later identified as Turkish. Almost automatically,
the father and his daughter began to speak this
strange tongue. As he read
the book, he outlined the
shapes with his index finger
and his daughter followed
intently
observing
the
movements of his fingers.
Though I should have
been studying for a test, I
was oddly entertained by
this little girl and her father
for some odd reason. I just
felt the love he had for
his daughter that I could
never describe with words.
Reading a book to a child
is in no way the only criteria for being a good father,
nor is it the best representa-
tion of a parent’s love. This
love cannot be simplified
and translated into written language, rather it is
a complex emotion that
can only be experienced
first hand. I sat on that train
and I felt the love that was
exuding from that father’s
heart. It was something I
have never experienced
from a complete stranger. As sappy as it sounds,
I would love to be that
father one day. I would
guide my child through life
like he guided his daughter’s small fingers across the
page. He maneuvered
her tiny index finger around
the simple shape of a circle, and in a way he was
ready to teach her about
the intricate circle of life.
If every father could do
that, this world would be a
better place. I would do
anything to be that father,
and I would do anything
to look that good, too.
Volume I. Issue 1
Issue 1 2007
53
your
Volume I. Issue 1
54
Issue 1 2007