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Net Neutrality

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

How the Verizon/Google Proposal Changes Everything

by Emily Mohlmann


Jack Reickel

Imagine if your internet speed and website access were dictated by how much you paid your internet provider. Sound ridiculous? It’s not.

Companies including Verizon and Google are actively trying to make this a reality.

In the United States, there is a de facto tradition of network neutrality - or net neutrality. This means that telecommunication companies generally offer the same rate to everyone, regardless of what sites they frequent or how much bandwidth they consume. However, there are no legal restrictions if companies decide to change this. For example, some internet service providers (ISPs) block certain ports to prevent consumers from hosting servers without a business account.

On August 9, Google and Verizon released a joint policy proposal detailing what they believe would allow the internet to remain public while giving network operators the freedom to manage their networks. Keeping two goals in mind - that users should be given the choice of what content, applications and devices to use, and that investment and innovation to support underlying broadband infrastructure should be encouraged - Google and Verizon put together seven main points.

First, the ISPs would not have the right to block any consumer traffic as long as the consumer is sharing legal content.

Second, ISPs would be forbidden to prioritize traffic or discriminate against any type of content in any way that would harm users or the competition.

Third, ISPs must be completely transparent about the services included in their plans, the capabilities of their services, and how its network is managed.

Fourth, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an independent U.S. government agency that is directly responsible to Congress, would have the authority to enforce the outlined policies on a case-by-case basis and fine a company in violation up to 2 million.

Fifth, ISPs would be allowed to offer differentiated online services (for example, Verizon’s FIOS TV) as long as they do not interfere with traditional internet service and access.

Sixth, with the exception of transparency, the policy would not apply to mobile and wireless networks.

Seventh, the funding provided by the Federal Universal Service Fund should be used to build better networks and services.

Now, before you panic, this is just a proposal. The FCC would have to adopt Verizon’s and Google’s plan as law.

If you haven’t been following the net neutrality drama for the past several years, you may be asking yourself why this contract between Verizon and Google is such a big deal. In the present, it may seem insignificant but, as technology progresses, wireless broadband-used by smart phones, iPads, GPS units, netbooks, and mobile hot spots-will be the defining technology for the next generation of devices.

Verizon and Google are only the latest in a line of net neutrality-related controversies. With no real laws or governing body over the internet, multiple companies in the pursuit of money have tried to make changes to their networks. The FCC, so far helpless, has been forced to fight from the sidelines.

At Your Leisure

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Can’t get enough bacon? We’ve got just the thing for you.

by Alex Rogala


Griffin Moore

Stream of Facts

Late West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd was an avid Shakespeare fan, quoting all 37 of the renowned playwright’s works at least once during his Senate career.

Lockheed Martin CEO Robert J. Stevens was paid a nearly 1 million death benefit - despite being alive - during March 2008.

Major sporting events such as March Madness and the Super Bowl are popular times for men to schedule vasectomies.

The popular “Guitar Hero” franchise was based off of a similar series of games titled “GuitarFreaks”, published by Konami in 1999. Red Octane, the company behind “Guitar Hero”, was originally contracted to manufacture controllers for “GuitarFreaks”.

In 2006, for the first time in U.S. history, the necessary cost to manufacture a penny rose above one cent.

Since turning his focus to acting, rapper 50 Cent has had many of his trademark tattoos removed.

In April 2003, Sony came under fire after registering the phrase “shock and awe” as a trademark for a planned war game. Previously, the U.S. Military had used the term to describe attacks on Iraq during the second Gulf War.

A record number of pirate attacks occurred around Somalia in 2009, with 214 ships attacked, leading to 47 hijackings.

Shipping journal “Lloyd’s List” stopped classifying ships as feminine in 2002, after 268 years of publication.

Five years after winning 9 million (about 14 million) from the UK Lottery, Keith Gough died penniless, having blown his money on houses, cars and racehorses.

Word Of The Week

SHIRK v. - to evade the performance of an obligation.

John would always SHIRK his job, calling in sick with a new rare illness every week.

Definition taken from http://merriam-webster.com.

Overseen & Overheard

Downed sign near Perkins.

Send your Overseen and Overheads with the phrase “Overseen and Overheard” in the subject line to leisure@reportermag.com. Now accepting cell phone pics!

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Bacon Today

Specialty magazines are nothing new, from “Stereophile”, to “Creative Knitting” and “High Times”. Each publication focuses on a subject near and dear to the hearts of readers, even if they appeal to a limited readership.

But those days are over, as a new publication has appeared which holds the potential to unite our nation: “Bacon Today”, a website devoted to all things bacon. Has there ever been a food as glorious as bacon? Unlikely. “Bacon Today” caters to bacon lovers everywhere, with articles focused on cooking, history and reviews of the exalted pork product. A list of bacon related events? You’re covered. Instructions on how to make colored bacon? Look no further. There’s even an article about the history of Georgia’s Bacon County and a listing of bacon-inspired songs. In “Bacon Today”, the world has discovered the Holy Grail for any respectable carnivore.

Get your pork on at http://bacontoday.com.

Quote

“Trying to explain music is like trying to dance architecture.”
- THELONIOUS MONK

Automobile Review: 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt Sedan

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Automobile Sedan 37 MPG HWY

by Tom Sciotto

With graduation looming a quick nine months away for some readers, the first thing on their minds may be, “Hey, I got a job! What shiny new wheels should I buy?” With an MSRP of about 15,000, the Chevy Cobalt isn’t that BMW M5 you have been dreaming of, but it’s a more realistic economy model for someone carrying a few thousand in student loans.

I recently got a chance to drive the LT sedan model, a beast of a car tricked out with such luxury options as power windows, and found that it did: A) have four shiny wheels, B) started when I turned the key, and C) got me to the places I needed to be. It had a radio and air conditioning, which kept me cool on hot and muggy Florida afternoons. The interior was comfortable and, overall, the entire vehicle was styled attractively.

But the car lacked something crucial: power. With a 2.2 liter four-cylinder engine generating 155 horsepower, the Cobalt accelerated like an antique tractor. This is a real shame, because the car is attractive and, once you get it up to speed, it can really move. On the interstate while pushing well above 80 MPH, the Cobalt maintained a quiet, smooth ride that easily felt like traveling at 30 MPH. Off I-95 and onto the more exciting Old Dixie Highway, the Cobalt ate up curves like a champ, but struggled to nimbly pass slower moving traffic.

The car looks nice, handles well, and can cruise with the big boys on the highway. If you drive conservatively, this may be the car for you. Hell, it’s got an estimated 37 MPG rating that was observed to be fairly accurate when driving conservatively. But if you want to feel like you can challenge that BMW in the other lane like I do, then pass on the Cobalt.

Album Review: Jamie Cullum's "The Pursuit"

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Album Jazz/Pop 89 Mins

by James Arn

Britain’s top jazz cat-turned-pop star, Jamie Cullum, has broken his five-year silence with a new album. With “The Pursuit”, Cullum has taken his biggest steps yet into the mainstream. He still manages to remain true to his jazz roots, lacing even his most pop-tastic tunes - “I’m All Over It” and “Music is Through” - with his signature jazzy goodness.

“The Pursuit” is Cullum’s most eclectic effort to date, pulling inspiration from a wide range of musical influence. From the old standard “Just One of Those Things” to the pulsing house beats of “Music is Through”, from the sizzling Latin grooves of “You and Me Are Gone” to the heartfelt ballads “If I Ruled the World” and “I Think, I Love”, and the infectious piano pop of “I’m All Over It”, Cullum leaves no genre untouched. This is his most experimental collection to date, and it also happens to be the best yet.

One of Cullum’s great talents is taking mainstream tunes and reinventing them in his own style. “The Pursuit” certainly allows him to flex these musical muscles, featuring covers of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music”, which is transformed into a pseudo ballad with a hard swinging chorus, and “Not While I’m Around” from the musical “Sweeney Todd”.

It’s clear that Cullum is a jazz artist who really loves pop music and is not one who is coerced into tarting himself up by the men in suits. While jazz purists might be underwhelmed by “The Pursuit”, it is clear that its brand of blended jazz, pop, and blue-eyed soul is right in Cullum’s wheelhouse, a place I would certainly like to visit sometime.

How Crazy is Your Roommate?

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Wear a hazmat suit.

by Emily Bogle

Whether you’ve just moved into the dorms or you’re living in a house off-campus with friends, you are likely to run into unsavory living situations. When arriving at college, some kids go crazy with independence. Others, fearful of meeting new people, stay locked up in their rooms. While everyone has their quirks, living with someone else can be much more than you bargained for. Test your roommate against this quiz and see how he or she stacks up against the worst.

Most nights before a big test, your roommate:

A Is studying quietly, reviewing flash cards, and making a study sheet.
B Is sleeping.
C Is yelling to friends on “World of Warcraft” during
a midnight raid.
D Is out partying.

Your roommate’s standard of cleanliness:

A Is very high. They always picks up after themselves and occasionally do your dishes too.
B Is moderate. They keep their mess on their side of the room, but it often seems to end up all over the place.
C Is fairly low. Cheese doodles are everywhere. The bathroom is coated with orange dust, and there are flies swarming by their desk.
D Is extremely low. The entire space smells like bong water since they’ve probably knocked it over while tripping on cases of Keystone Light.

You try to set up ground rules for your space. Your roommate responds:

A Very positively. They want to observe study hours but are willing to have a few people over for dinner or a movie night.
B By grunting and rolling over to sleep more.
C Somewhat positively. They tell you that weekly D&D nights are going to be held at your place. They even offer to save you a spot.
D Negatively. The first rule is: There are no rules.

Your roommate decorates their space with:

A A few photos of family, friends and pets. There is also a calendar of when projects are due.
BAbsolutely nothing. There are still pieces of tape from the previous tenant’s posters that haven’t been taken down.
C Wall scrolls of their favorite animes.
D Bottles of alcohol stolen from parties.

Before you leave to go home for the weekend:

A You tell your roommate and they offer to water the plant in your room.
B You leave a note on your roommate’s bedpost, where you know they’ll see it. You know that they won’t notice that you’re gone.
C You try to tell them, but their metal music is too loud. You attempt to write a letter, but they tell you they’re only reading in Japanese now.
D You don’t say anything because, if you did, you’re certain that they’d throw a party in your apartment and everything would be trashed. You take all of your valuables with you.

If you answered mostly:

A: What are you complaining about? These roommates are few and far between. Even if they have small quirks, I bet they would make you dinner and would always keep the music volume at a tolerable level.

B: Living with this type of roommate isn’t the best. It is like living with a cat that you never see but you know is lying about somewhere. You may have to shake the food bowl once a week, but they’re otherwise low maintenance.

C: Anime kids and gamers can be tough. Cases of Mountain Dew, screaming matches against computer games, Japanese cartoons constantly playing, and questionable critters lurking in your apartment aren’t great. Positives are: Maybe you’ll learn a new language, and there will always be someone more awkward than you.

D: Bring a hazmat suit. Move out or ask for a housing reassignment. Or you can hope they’ll move in with a significant other or stay permanently at that party house that was shut down for health code violations. Good luck, and invest in serious cleaners to try and maintain your space.

At Your Leisure

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:00:25 -0400

Entertainment for dull orientation sessions.

by Alex Rogala

What is AYL?

At Your Leisure is a page in each issue devoted to quick, easy-to-read entertainment. Check in each week for a haiku, sudoku and stream of facts, as well as a variety of other awesome ways to totally not pay attention in class.

Stream of Facts

An average 90-minute audio cassette contains 129 meters of tape.

Narayan Dutt Tiwari, the 86 year-old governor of Andhra Pradesh, India, resigned in late 2009 after a sex tape of him with three women leaked.

In July 2009, a crashed beer truck leaked 22 tons of suds onto a Madison, Wis. highway.

The magic behind the suds created by bubble bath solutions is the byproduct of its soap solution. The soap used in these solutions is attracted to air molecules, forming bubbles around them.

The longest recorded air time for a chicken was 13 seconds, recorded during a 1979 contest held by the International Chicken Flying Association.

In 2005, two low-flying jets owned by the Royal Danish Air Force startled a reindeer named Ruldolph to death. Owner Olovi Nikkanoff, a professional Santa, was eventually paid 5,000 as compensation for the deceased beast.

Even though the beast was only brought to worldwide attention in 1933, tales of the Loch Ness Monster have been around for quite some time; sightings have been recorded as early as the sixth century.

In 1922, musician Beck recorded his breakthrough single “Loser” in a friend’s living room, while still homeless and working a minimum wage job.

Word Of The Week

confabulate - v. - to talk informally; to hold a discussion.

Every Tuesday, Zombie Nixon confabulated with the Monarchist’s Club over a pint.

Definition taken from http://merriam-webster.com.

Quote

“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”
— Kurt Cobain

Overseen & Overheard

“Think I should tell her about my 14-inch hunting knife?”
— Male student in Golisano Hall

“Dance, puppet, dance!”
— Female student in Campus Center

“I think it’s illegal to have sex with whales.”
— Male student in George Eastman Hall, in response to “Your Mom” joke

Sign of caution near wild prairie grass outside University Service Center.

Send your Overseen and Overheads with the phrase “Overseen and Overheard” in the subject line to leisure@reportermag.com. Now accepting cell phone pics!

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Getting involved.

Mom and Dad have long since left, and you can do whatever you want. You’re finally on your own, the clean slate of college ahead of you. Despite RIT students being known as an antisocial bunch, there is a fair amount to do here; but only if you look for it. College (usually) only comes once - so make the most of it and become involved before you become disenchanted or succumb to WoW. Leave your door open, roam the halls, and talk to your floor mates. Go out and introduce yourself to random people (just don’t be creepy about it!). Join a club, whether it involves science, ninjas, flammable veggies, silly walks or anything else that tickles your fancy. Find your own way to roll, and remember, no one likes a complainer.

Haiku

Creepy boys abound
WoW, anime, B.O., snow
Run while you still can

50 Things To Do Off-Campus

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:23:46 -0400

Your ticket out of this isolated Brick City.

by Leanne Cushing, Emily Bogle, Michael Conti

Eateries

Java’s Downtown
16 Gibbs St.
If you’ve been to the Java Wally’s in the library, you have a feel for the Java’s atmosphere. The Java’s downtown is located next to the Eastman School of Music and is at least twice the size of Java Wally’s. Downstairs, there are two billiard tables and, on the main, floor there is an impressive wall of bulk coffee and tea.

Bubble Tea
363 Goodman St. South
K.C. Tea & Noodles offers Asian cuisine and bubble tea. Bubble tea is basically an iced tea (or juice) and green tea blend with pearl-sized tapioca bubbles. You can also ask for a bubble tea smoothie or milk shake.

Equal Grounds
750 South Ave.
Equal Grounds is a gay-friendly caf located in the South Wedge that holds regular open mic nights. It’s a great place to meet new people and get coffee away from campus.

Spot Coffee
200 East Ave.
A brightly lit caf located not far from the Little Theater. It is usually busy, and it has a bunch of comfy couches and seats for chilling out.

Dog Town
691 Monroe Ave.
This hot dog joint boasts a variety of toppings and several vegetarian and vegan options. It does a brisk lunch business, but is also open until 11 p.m. on weeknights and 12 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays to satisfy late night hunger.

John’s Tex Mex
489 South Ave.
Located in the South Wedge, this tasty Mexican place was opened by an RIT graduate. It offers good food at affordable prices and a comfortable atmosphere. Take note, it is closed on Sundays.

Jay’s Diner
2612 W. Henrietta Road
This 1950’s style diner is open 24 hours a day and has a variety of food choices ranging from breakfast (served all day and night) to dinner. Each booth has a coin-operated jukebox with an array of music.

Phillips European Restaurant
26 Corporate Woods
Phillips has the best desserts in the area, hands down. They have a variety of tortes (a light-textured mix of cake and cream), cheesecakes and cookies. They also have amazing chocolate covered strawberries and their own fresh-pressed flavored coffee. They are located just a few miles off of campus near Monroe Community College.

Boulder Coffee
100 Alexander St.
Located in South Wedge, Boulder Coffee has a variety of coffee and espresso drinks. They have a tasty Irish coffee and make a variety of sandwiches and pastries every day. If you go there in the evening, there is usually some form of live music to listen to.

Experience a Garbage Plate
Various Locations
A traditional garbage plate consists of macaroni salad, home fries, two cheeseburger patties (or your choice of meat), mustard, onions, and meat sauce all thrown together. Sounds like it shouldn’t mix, right? Surprisingly, it tastes good all together. Try one at Henrietta Hots, Nick Tahou’s, or Steve T’s.

Dinosaur Barbecue
99 Court St.
Originally founded in Syracuse, eating at this barbecue joint is required at least once in your time in Rochester. Their sauce is very unique, unlike any other you’ve tasted.

The Old Toad
277 Alexander St.
The Old Toad is an authentic English Pub; most of the wait staff is English. There is a variety of good food and an amazing selection of over a hundred beers to choose from.

California Rollin’
274 N. Goodman St.
California Rollin’ offers sushi rolls, tempura and nigiri that will appeal to anyone seeking Japanese cuisine. Dinner on Wednesdays are all-you-can-eat night.

Exploration

Abandoned Subway
Various Locations in Downtown Rochester
Exploring the subway is a lot of fun, but can be dangerous. Bring a flashlight and wear sturdy shoes.

Fishing in the Genesee
Various Locations
If you find yourself with an open morning and a few extra worms, head down to the Genesee. You are likely to meet a few characters as you wait patiently for a bite.

Public MarkeT
280 Union St. N.
A century old tradition, the Public Market offers a variety of local foods, fresh produce and flowers. There are also small shops during the warmer weather. The Empanadas Shop and the Cheese Shop (which houses a variety of imported cheeses open for sampling) are two stops in particular worth checking out.

High Falls
60 Browns Race
Not many cities can say they have a waterfall crashing through its center. High Falls is one of the observation points of Rochester’s waterfall. There are many trails that follow the falls down to their full extent, and the Pont De Rennes is a highly recommended popular spot.

Graffiti
Various Locations
The two most popular locations for legal graffiti are the walls located behind the Village Gate, near the train tracks and on the Broad Street Bridge. Even if you don’t make graffiti art, going to check out the complexity and talent of some of the work is worthwhile.

Wegmanopolis
3195 Monroe Ave.
Wegmanopolis is a name that could only describe the original Wegmans in Pittsford. As someone on rocwiki.org claims, “The Pittsford Wegmans is like the Disneyland of grocery stores!” Sure, it may just be a grocery store, but it has such variety and interesting foods you won’t find at other markets. It’s definitely worth visiting.

Letchworth State Park
1 Letchworth State Park, Castille, N.Y.
Letchworth is about an hour’s drive south from campus and has a bunch of hiking trails. There’s a bridge that overlooks one of the falls and gives a great view of the park. Sometimes, there is a vehicle fee to get in, but other times it’s free.

Mt. Hope Cemetery
1133 Mount Hope Ave.
Located on Route 15, closer to the city, this cemetery has a lot of beautiful tombs and gravestones. It offers a scenic walk with a purpose: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas are buried there, so you can make a day of trying to hunt their burial grounds down.

Ontario Beach ParK
4799 Lake Ave.
Just north of the center of the city is this fun park, carousel included. There are a few of routes to walk around, one of which takes you to the light ouse, along the sand, or to the volleyball area. If you’re hungry, there’s Cheeburger Cheeburger, California Rollin’ and Abbott’s housed in a building along the shore.

Biking on the Genesee River Trail
Various Locations
The Genesee River Trail starts close to campus and winds around the University of Rochester. It passes by the abandoned subway and Dinosaur BBQ, and it goes all the way up to Lake Ontario. It’s very scenic and makes for a good day-long biking adventure.

Ghost Hunting for the Lady in White
Lake Ontario Shore
The White Lady’s daughter was said to have gone missing. After she resolved her daughter must have been raped or murdered, the grief overtook her and she threw herself off a cliff into Lake Ontario. Following her death, the mother’s spirit returned to continue the search for her child. People say that on foggy nights, the White Lady rises from the small Durand Lake that faces Lake Ontario. Her dogs are said to accompany her. Together, they roam through the Durand Eastman Park, still searching.

Highland Park and the Lamberton Conservatory
171 Reservoir Ave.
Highland Park has a lot of wildlife and flowers and is located just south of South Wedge. There is even a nice amphitheater that has live music on occasion. Highland Park is also home to the Lilac Festival in the spring.

George Eastman House
900 East Ave.
One of the premiere photography museums is located here in Rochester, perfect for anyone interested in photography. There are traveling exhibitions in the galleries, and you can walk through the Kodak founder’s home.

Seneca Park Zoo
2222 St. Paul St.
The zoo has a variety of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and fish. A few times a year, they do an event called ZooBrew, which features live music, beer and barbecue. This fall, ZooBrew will take place on September 10. Check it out!

Strong Museum of Play
1 Manhattan Square Drive
The Museum of Play is a place where you can feel like a little kid again. You can walk around on Sesame Street, check out the butterfly garden, and look at the fish in the aquarium. If you don’t feel like spending the money, the playground located outside of the museum is a lot of fun too.

Boating on the Erie Canal
Various Locations
Some shops located on the Canal in Pittsford and Fairport offer kayaks, pedal boats, and canoes as rentals.

Leisure

Millennium Games and Hobbies
3047 W. Henrietta Road
Every night, Millennium offers tables for people to come in and play card games such as “Magic: The Gathering” and “Yu-Gi-Oh!”. You can even play strategy games like “Warhammer” and pen and paper role-playing games like “Dungeons and Dragons.” Check out http://millenniumgames.com for schedules.

Rochester Parkour
Various Locations
Give parkour and freerunning a try. It’s kind of like an obstacle course, and it gives you a chance to run, jump and climb around on stuff, just like you did when you were a kid. With training sessions on Saturdays, anyone with any experience level is welcome to attend and sure to have fun. For more information, check out http://rochesterparkour.com.

Movies 10
2609 W. Henrietta Road
Across from Jay’s Diner, this ten-screen cinema shows movies after their initial run in the main theaters. Matinees and evenings (aside from Friday and Saturday nights) are 2. There is a special 75-cent ticket price on Mondays. The seats are pretty worn, which makes them way more comfortable than those ‘perfect posture’ seats at Cinema 18.

Amazing Maize Maze
1342 Eddy Road, Macedon, N.Y.
The Maize Maze is a huge and complex cornfield maze located at Long Acre Farms. The maze is open from mid-August to Halloween.

Little Theater
240 East Ave.
This independent theatre offers a variety of movies you can’t usually see at the multiplex. Sundance Film Festival winners, foreign films and other independent films can be found here.

Vintage Drive-In
1520 West Henrietta Road, Avon, N.Y.
On the weekends, the Vintage Drive-In offers a double feature starting around dusk, making the 20 minute drive worth it. Usually, the event consists of one newly-released movie and one movie that was released a few months ago. And with four screens and a total of eight movies, there is bound to be something for everyone.

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO)
108 East Ave.
PAETEC offers a few concerts at discounts to try to encourage and support students interested in the fine arts. In October, the season opener will be Tchaikovsky’s Fourth. Student tickets are 10.

Rochester Rhinos
460 Oak St.
The Rhinos are part of the U.S. Division Two Soccer League and offer a great opportunity to see minor league soccer locally. The season goes until the end of September.

Rochester Americans
1 War Memorial Drive
The Americans, or Amerks, (AHL Hockey) season starts mid-October at the Blue Cross Arena.

Goddess Hour
1470 Monroe Ave.
Goddess Hour offers dance and fitness classes outside of your typical gym, including belly dancing, hula hoop and pole dancing. Classes are both drop-ins and weekly courses, but they are only available to women.

Roc City Roller Derby
Various Locations
The Roc City Rollers is an all-female roller derby team that competes across the east coast. Each competition is a great opportunity to see speed, tenacity and ferocity on wheels.

Look Ah Hookah
1635 E. Henrietta Road
Hookah has become an increasingly popular hobby. Look Ah Hookah offers a variety of flavored tobacco in a comfortable environment.

Snowboarding at Bristol
250 Eastern Blvd., Canandaigua, N.Y.
With the amount of snow Western New York sees in the winter, snowboarding becomes a weekend hobby. Bristol, which is about 40 minutes away, offers Wegmans-sponsored group days on Saturdays 4 to 10 p.m. is 20 per person as long as you have four people in your group. The more people you bring for your group, the cheaper the tickets will be.

Nightlife

Tilt
444 Central Ave.
One of Rochester’s nightclubs, Tilt is gay-friendly with drag shows every Thursday and the “Big Gay Disco” every Saturday night. Thursday night is the most popular night for a lot of RIT students to go, so check it out!

Bug Jar
219 Monroe Ave.
The Bug Jar is located in the middle of the city on the corner of Monroe and Union Street. If you’re into the indie scene and like live music, this is the place to go. They have had such artists as Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Fiery Furnaces, and Modest Mouse play there in the past.

TriBeCa
233 Mill St.
A classy nightclub that has a vast dance floor and offers an 18 and up night on Thursdays. TriBeCa is a great place if you are looking for a swanky place to dance the night away.

VerteX
169 N. Chestnut St.
The goth club of Rochester, Vertex has a projector and a couple of TVs that usually play random horror movies. Throw on your knee high lace-up boots, corsets and leather and experience Rochester’s goth scene.

Daisy Dukes
6 Lawrence St.
Rochester gets a touch of class, courtesy of girls in cut-off flannels and bucking bull rides. 5 will get you a ride, but 10 will give you the opportunity to master the bull for a chance at winning a 50 bar tab. Prepare to get your cookies tossed.

Lux
666 South Ave.
Lux is a one-of-a-kind alternative bar located in the South Wedge with a lot of eccentric people, a nice atmosphere, and themed nights (such as arts and crafts night, trivia night and movie night). In the back there are picnic tables and even a hammock to kick back in. The only not-so-cool thing is - as a bar - you have to be 21 to get in.

Water Street Music Hall
204 N. Water St.
Water Street, as it’s called, is one of the main venues in Rochester for big band stops. Musical acts such as Ben Folds, Taking Back Sunday, Anberlin, and Flogging Molly have performed there.

The Penny Arcade
4785 Lake Ave.
Located near Charlotte Beach, The Penny Arcade is another local music venue offering a stage to local and national metal and punk bands. It has a 40-foot bar, and as the name suggests, arcade games available to play.

DUb land underground
315 Alexander St.
With live bands four nights every week, this split level bar and music hall will not disappoint. A great final stop in your tour de Roch-cha-cha, Dub Land underground is a trendy spotlocated off of East Ave. just outside of downtown.

The Other Side of Silence

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Getting involved with Deaf culture.

by Derrick Behm


Joanna Eberts

One of the first things you may notice when you arrive at RIT is that it is a melting pot for the unique; nerds, art students, engineers, computer science geeks, and international students have made the campus their home. Each of these groups has their own language; Some have thorough conversations about XHTML and Unix, while others go on about engineering projectiles or proper photo techniques. You can tune most of them out if they’re not in your circle, yet it is always hard to miss the people who move their hands around crazily at each other.

Who are these people? Well, RIT is home to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), the world’s first and largest technical institute for the Deaf. Monroe County, in fact, has the largest deaf to hearing ratio in the country. With nearly 1,500 deaf students on campus and plenty more deaf faculty and staff, RIT is known to be “Deaf-friendly.” Here is a guide, created by a Deaf student, to help you become Deaf-friendly and understand this silent culture.

Inside the Deaf Community

The Deaf community is home to a variety of diverse subcultures. Although united by a common ground, much of this diversity isn’t immediately apparent. Faced with communication barriers and different philosophies of integration, nearly every deaf person has a unique experience.

Known as hard of hearing, some of us are born with a little more hearing than others, and are able to learn how to speak. However, many of us are profoundly deaf and cannot speak at all. While most deaf individuals learn both Americal sign language (ASL) and speech growing up, it is not uncommon to be raised to only speak and not learn sign language at all; these individuals are known as the oral deaf.

The majority of deaf people use ASL to communicate with each other. ASL is recognized as an official language; it has linguistic components, and everything else except a written language. Today, ASL is the third most offered language course across America’s schools.

Before college, some deaf people choose to go to Deaf (residential) schools, but today the majority is mainstreamed in public schools with support services. Despite the various difficulties, many deaf people do not feel isolated or limited by their struggle. Some, like myself, wear hearing aid devices such as cochlear implants, but others try these devices to little avail. Even so, those who come from Deaf schools tend to be more culturally and socially involved with the Deaf community.

It is a fact that many deaf people do not have the best English skills. Parents often do not find out when their child is born that they cannot hear. As a result, many trail behind in education due to late language development. While children usually learn a language from hearing others speak, deaf children lack the access to this type of incidental learning like. This, however, does not mean that we’re dumb - we made it this far, and are capable of taking the same classes you are.

In the end, it is important to remember that we lead very normal lives. We party, go to classes, have jobs on campus, and go to the gym just as you do. It is only our culture and methods of communication that are different.

Deaf on the Social Front

When surrounded by a significant number of deaf people for the first time, many hearing people might not be used to the “deaf noises” we make. Obviously, deaf people cannot always hear themselves, and they do not always know the appropriate sounds for their surroundings. So, don’t be creeped out if a deaf person laughs out loud in silence - they are most likely laughing at some signed joke. If a person slams a hand on the table, it is not a sign of anger; rather, they are probably animating a story.

Sometimes our hearing aids will give off annoying feedback; if you politely let us know you can hear it, we will thank you for saving our hearing aids’ battery life. There are a lot more deaf noises that you will discover - don’t make fun of them. Get used to them because you will be hearing them often over your next few years at RIT.

Maybe you will find yourself staring at a group with their hands flying around. Yes, sometimes that can be considered rude, but occasional glances are okay.

You can help to bridge the communication gap between deaf and hearing, even if you don’t know sign. Try writing your thoughts out. Whether on paper, a cell phone or a computer screen, this is a quick and effective way to converse with a deaf person. Also, depending on your location, you may be able to find an interpreter.

But before you jump straight into conversation, remember that deaf people have different personalities. Some will be sociable, while others will be uninterested in talking to a hearing person. Don’t be offended. Also, keep in mind that not all deaf people learn the social graces of the hearing society and may appear to be blunt or rude without intending to be. It’s nothing personal; just try to keep an open mind.

But how do you actively go about meeting your Deaf schoolmates? If you’re one of a lucky few, you might not need to look any further than your dorm floor. If you are fortunate enough to live on a mainstream floor with other deaf residents, you will have a better opportunity to engage and socialize with Deaf people.

If you are interested in ASL or learning about Deaf culture, there are many opportunities for you to become more aware or involved with the Deaf community.

Those on hearing floors may want to check out No Voice Zone, an open group that meets every Wednesday. Both hearing and deaf students are welcome. It is a great opportunity to learn sign, get to know Deaf people and meet other hearing people interested in ASL.

Getting Involved Academically

Although some classes at RIT are delegated for hearing or deaf students only, many are mainstreamed. When you’re in class you might see some interpreters or C-Print (captioning) computers propped up at the front for deaf people. If you’re enrolled in one of these mainstreamed classes, don’t take over the front seats; these are typically occupied by deaf students. Be mindful of us as we need to have a clear view of the interpreter or the C-Print.

As deaf people must concentrate on what a professor or interpreter is signing, many of these classes require a notetaker. Generally this is a hearing student who will take notes for any deaf students in the class. Any student with a GPA of 2.5 or higher is eligible to be a notetaker.

A select few may find a more academic interest in the Deaf culture itself. For these students, RIT has a variety of options. If you’re shopping for a major and Deaf culture has piqued your interest, look into NTID’s ASL-English Interpretation program, located in the school of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education.

But those with a more casual interest are not left out of the loop either. Before graduation, everyone is required to take an Arts of Expression class, and taking an ASL class fulfills this requirement. Several classes of varying difficulties are available each quarter, and first and second years are given priority in registration.

Finally, don’t be shy. We don’t bite. All we ask is for you to keep an open mind about our culture and community.

2010-2011 RIT Timeline

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Events to look forward to.

by Tom Sciotto

So, you made it. Out on your own, a big bad college life stretching as far as the eye can see. Relishing in all your newfound freedom... Oh, wait, you have no idea what to do with yourself? Fear not, brave freshman, your new buddies at Reporter have picked out some events for you to help whisk you away from the icy glow of your internet machine.


Emily Bogle

FALL

September

Humans vs. Zombies

Ever wonder how you would handle a virulent, life-changing pandemic? Well, Humans vs. Zombies is the game for you. Band together with your fellow humans (or zombies, if you so choose) and live in a simulated zombie apocalypse for a few days. Mow down zombies with Nerf shotguns, ambush unsuspecting humans, and spread your wanton filth. Stay up for days on end and completely ignore your school work; this game has got something for everybody. Gameplay begins during Week 3, so look out for registration. If you miss out on this Nerf-toting awesome the first time around, don’t fret; there is a second game played every spring.

October

Brick City Homecoming

A weekend-long celebration where alumni and parents are invited to campus to reminisce about the old times at RIT and enjoy a myriad of events that you don’t have to be a computer science jockey or pretentious photographer to d. You can expect athletic and cultural demonstrations, comedians, interesting speakers, and a preseason taste of RIT’s hockey team at the Blue Cross Arena. Although current attractions have yet to be announced, past guests have included Jon Stewart, Jimmy Wales and Jim Gaffigan.

November

Hockey Season Begins

If you only do one spirited thing at RIT, make sure it’s watching hockey. After a thrilling run to the Frozen Four National Tournament last season, the smart money is on another fantastic season of the Tigers beating up on their Atlantic Hockey Rivals. Head down to the Frank Ritter Arena and cheer along with the Corner Crew, our raucous student section, or devise your own clever jeers to support RIT’s newest heroes. And don’t forget the women’s team, who is an NCAA Division III powerhouse in its own right.


Alexandra Artusio-Glimpse

WINTER

December

Console Gaming Night

Want to do something social, but not bro-cial? Like to play video games, but tired of getting sniped by campers in “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare”? Want to enjoy a little human interaction while gaming? Head on down to the Student Alumni Union for the Electronic Gaming Society’s special console game nights. Different consoles and games are featured quarterly, in addition to LAN parties and tournaments. Deep inside, you know you can’t resist the opportunity to showcase your Mario Kart 64 skills.

January

Last Comic Standing

Faced with frigid temperatures, a crazy workload, and a surplus of creepy dudes skulking around campus, you may feel like the butt of a cruel joke. Some of your fellow students take this joke a little more literally and showcase their musings on life in RIT’s annual Last Comic Standing competition. And if you are one of the creepers that get ripped on all the time, this is your chance to laugh with the crowd instead of being laughed at.

February

Freezefest

Hey, it is February in Rochester. Fu& cold, right? If there is one thing that should get you out of your climate controlled 90-degree dorm cocoon, it should be RIT’s newest festival: Freezefest. As the name implies, you probably will be cold, but with activities like last year’s ice disco and baking contest, there promises to be something to melt away the winter blues. Among other activities, expect a major guest; last year’s was comedienne Kathy Griffin.


Robert Shook

SPRING

March

Hockey Playoffs

Barring one of the greatest upsets in sports history, RIT’s hockey team will likely be back in the playoffs, and you should be there. RIT caught hockey fever last season, and the only cure seems to be more hockey. You should tailgate with WITR, the campus radio station, before the tournament at Blue Cross Arena and then plan on cheering until your vocal chords bleed, because this is the playoffs, where every fan makes a difference.

April

Greek Week

So now you want the bro-cial events? Check out this display of the one Greek thing that fraternities do: philanthropy. Pie a frat guy, drop a frat guy in a dunk tank, pay a frat guy to leave you alone; the innovative ways that these guys support their respective charities is only rivaled by their sheer lack of indifference to the scowls they receive for being so abrasively pushy. All joking aside, if you are interested in serving the community and want to learn more about a fraternity or sorority, this is an opportune moment to present yourself.

May

Springfest

Unlike its cousins Freezefest and Brick City Weekend, Springfest is actually something to celebrate. The sun will have returned, the ladies will have emerged, and the seeming eternal winter that you just suffered through will feel like a distant memory. Get outside and hear some live music or take in some interesting club displays - it is never too late to join a club! And make sure to get your ticket to the major concert, presented by the College Activity Board. Previous acts have included Cobra Starship, Ben Folds and Taking Back Sunday.

Daring Dorm Designs

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Thinking outside of your 12-by-14 foot box.

by Sarah Priestap

Moving into a dorm room can often be depressing. From their white concrete block walls to their flickering fluorescent lights, RIT’s dorm rooms have personalities not unlike your average prison cell.

The following rooms offer some respite from the uninspiring, standard setups of lofted beds, bomb shelter-ready desks, and empty, empty walls. Each student added their own possessions to create a comfortable place to return to after a cold Rochester day. (You can’t feel it yet; but trust me, it does get cold here.) Some room additions, like Dan Fuhry’s wooden shelf, were completely free (someone else on the floor was getting rid of it); others, like Paul Hovans’ big screens, required a little more investment. But the majority of these rooms were made unique through just a little bit of furniture moving and creative lighting with lamps and strings of LED lights.


Photo House roommates Katie Cooper, a first year New Media Publishing major, and Katie Lachut, a first year Photojournalism major, relax after class in their room. Cooper had originally come up with the idea of un-lofting the beds for a more wide and open feel. Says Lachut, “Katie Cooper moved in a week before me because of volleyball practices. When I moved in I saw her un-lofted bed. After a few months, I decided to un-loft mine too, because I got so sick of having to climb up and down all the time.”
Sarah Priestap


Dan Fuhry’s room uses shelves and wallspace to create a spacious room where he can work on the computer and play his keyboards. The key in this room is the homemade wooden shelf stacked over his desk. “The shelf actually came as a pleasant surprise the day I was moving in,” says Fuhry, a first year Information Security and Forensics major on Computer Science House. “Some guy didn’t need it anymore and was just going to throw it out, so I rescued it and put it in my room.”
Sarah Priestap


Katie Morgan, a first year Physician Assistant major, spends a quiet evening studying in her room in Carlton Gibson Hall — a rare occasion, as the open floor in her room is often used for game nights with friends.
Sarah Priestap


Paul Hovan’s room in Mark Ellingson Hall is a gamer’s paradise, complete with two big screens for playing Halo and any other game you could possibly want. Hovan, a first year NTID 3D Digital Graphic major, moved his and his roommates’ beds out of the way so that the majority of their room could be used for gaming.
Sarah Priestap


Lauren Held chose not to move any furniture around when she moved in; but rather, she added her own possessions to make the room shine — with LED lights! Held, a first year Biomedical Photographic Communications major, also tied clothesline between her bedposts and, using clothespins, hung photos of friends and family.
Sara Wick

Microwave Throwdown: Bagel Pizza Edition

Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Arn versus Cahill in a bagel pizza throwdown.

by James Arn, Brendan Cahill


Dustin McKibben

The Challenge

Create two different styles of bagel pizzas using only ingredients found in the Corner Store and cooked using only a microwave. One pizza must be a classic style pizza, composed of red sauce, cheese and any traditional pizza toppings. The second must be a more experimental design comprised of any ingredients of the competitor’s choosing. Each pizza will be judged by an independent group of five taste testers, after which a winner will be declared.


Dustin McKibben

James’s Take

Given my copious, first-hand knowledge of the microwave’s tendency to turn anything that has the misfortune of being put into it into a soggy mass of unevenly, heated grossness, I opted to give my bagel a preliminary dry run in the radiation box. The thought here was that this first spin would evaporate some of the water in the bagel, providing a dash of structural stability come cookin’ time. To create the traditional pizza, I combined Prego’s traditional sauce, pepperoni and grated mozzarella cheese. To lend a splash of originality, I also added a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top.

For my non-traditional attempt, I combined Dinosaur Bar B Que sauce with chunks of chicken and topped it off with mozzarella.

Brendan’s Take

Without Jamie’s extensive knowledge of microwave ovens, I immediately started piling toppings on my bagel, hoping that the toppings, rather than their treatment in the microwave, would make the difference. To that end, I opted to use a fancier Prego garlic sauce, but kept the standard mozzarella and pepperoni that Jamie used. Without any real knowledge of how long to put it in the microwave, though, I tossed the bagel in, spun the dial to roughly where I thought it should go, and hoped for the best.

For the non-traditional attempt, I opted for a downright evil combination of A1 steak sauce, roast beef and mozzarella cheese. This idea sounded decent while pondering ingredients at the Corner Store, but would prove to come with its own share of problems later. Seeing that my traditional pizza was looking a little overdone, I actually thought about cooking duration for this one and chose a more forgiving amount of time in the sweat box.

The Verdict

Traditional Pizza

Coming out of the microwave, the pizzas looked roughly the same. As soon as knife touched bagel, though, the difference became obvious. While Arn’s bagel had a rubbery, tough to cut texture (similar to a Bagel Bite), Cahill’s cut with unnerving ease. Both textures were less than pleasant to chew, and it quickly became apparent that Arn’s was the favorite among the tasters. “It’s like comparing rubber to shit. Rubber wins,” explained judge Derek Kreider, a first year Physics major. Cahill’s choice of sauce did garner favor from Kreider and two of the other judges, but Arn’s pizza was unanimously declared the winner on the basis of texture alone.

Experimental Pizza

While neither pizza fared particularly well in this grouping, Arn’s more sensible barbeque chicken pizza was the favored contender as tasting began. Cahill’s offering suffered from a fatal flaw: no matter how little A1 sauce was used, the steak sauce simply overpowered the toppings.

After declaring Arn’s pizza the winner, judge Zach Hoefler, a first year Game Design and Development major, had the dangerous idea of combining the two. While he admitted that the initial experience was unpleasant, the aftertaste was surprisingly good. Five minutes later, with the aftertaste still lingering, he had changed his tune. “It’s starting to burn,” he claimed.

Pizza bagels in the microwave needn’t be a bad thing. As Arn was able to prove, they can be at least as good as Bagel Bites, but more satisfying when made with better ingredients. Experimental microwave recipes, however, tend to be a mixed bag: When attempting to cook with minimal tools and ingredients (as us poor college students often do), it is best to keep things simple and let the pros with their fancy convection ovens handle the rest.

Eat This Not That

Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Exploring the healthier options of on-campus eating.

by Emily Mohlmann

Your stomach is growling. You’re hungry, and you just want to eat. You order the first thing that sounds good to your roaring stomach. But do you stop and think of how many calories or grams of artery clogging fat is inside that meal? Chances are, probably not. Reporter hopes that the next time you order that double bacon cheeseburger, you’ll think twice and grab a garden burger instead.

Breakfast

It’s always tempting to eat grab-and-go foods for breakfast, but they aren’t always the best choice. After all, why eat a muffin when you can get a hot breakfast for half the calories and fat? If you must have an on-the-run breakfast, try a scone rather than a bagel or muffin. A blueberry or cranberry-orange scone makes an excellent on-the-go breakfast. It’s portable, it’s delicious, and it has roughly 1/3 the amount of fat.

Gracie’s

Eat This:

Two whole-wheat pancakes and four ounces of scrambled eggs. For 256 calories and 10.09 grams of fat you can get a hot breakfast. It may take you a few minutes longer to eat, but it’s worth it for the variety of nutrients you’ll gain.

Gracie’s

Not That:

Triple Berry Muffin. Don’t let the berry in its name fool you into thinking that this is a healthy choice. With 471 calories and 26.35 grams of fat, you might as well be eating a chocolate bar.

Crossroads


Victor Prado

Eat This: Scone

Similar to a biscuit, a scone has 249 calories and only 9.45 grams of fat. They’re low in sodium and sugar, and also pack 6.03 grams of protein.

Crossroads


Victor Prado

Not That: Bagel

Bagels come in with 340 calories and 4.13 grams of fat. Yes, they contain less fat than a scone, but bagels can contain up to 590 milligrams of sodium. And don’t forget the additional calories and fat from butter, jam or cream cheese you’re likely to add.

Lunch

When it comes to lunch and dinner, there are so many choices available. As a college student, all too often you do not have the time to stop and think about what’s going to be better for your health. A good rule of thumb to follow is this: chicken or a veggie burger is usually going to be healthier than beef.

RITz


Victor Prado

Eat This: Island Breeze Wrap

This 482-calorie wrap laced with chicken and fruit is a healthy choice with only 6.61 grams of fat. And it even packs a solid 33.53 grams of protein.

RITz


Victor Prado

Not That: Chicken Club Wrap

This wrap comes with 795 calories. And unfortunately, its whopping 59.09 grams of protein is not enough goodness to offset the 37.73 grams of fat and 1,571 milligrams of sodium it also contains.


Victor Prado

Eat This: Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich

When you head to the grill at the RITz, try out this sandwich, which contains only 338 calories and 3.87 grams of fat. You can’t beat this sure fire winner.


Victor Prado

Not That: Traditional Burger with Cheese

A cheeseburger is rarely the healthiest option. This one contains 527 calories and 23.52 grams of fat - 36 percent of the recommended daily value. Definitely pass on this one.

The Commons

Eat This: Reuben Melt

If you just can’t kick that hankering for a greasy meal, we’ve got you covered. This gooey sandwich is high in calories and fat, but not the worst thing you can find. With 759 calories, 40.22 grams of fat, and 2914 milligrams of sodium this should not be a daily staple.

The Commons

Not That: French Dip Platter

With 1,092 calories and 44.26 grams of fat, you’ll nearly max out on daily-recommended amounts. Having a lower sodium amount than a reuben, 1635 milligrams, is about the only “advantage” you’ll find to this sandwich.

Crossroads


Victor Prado

Eat This: Garden Burger with Cheese

This garden burger contains 467 calories and 10.15 grams of fat. It’s low in cholesterol at 15 milligrams and contains 29.18 grams of protein.

Crossroads


Victor Prado

Not That: Black Bean Garden Burger with Cheese

This burger comes in with more calories, 527, and fat, 13.57 grams than its original counterpart. It also contains 1,349 grams of sodium - about 200 more than the garden burger.

Drinks

In the coffee versus tea debate, coffee takes the gold over a bottle of iced tea. Always be on your guard with iced drinks and juices; they taste good for a reason - all that extra sugar. But if you can’t pass up a good juice blend, look for no-sugar added options that are 100 percent juice.

Drink This: Coffee (16 ounces)

With only five calories in a 16-ounce cup, this is no liquid meal. Nine milligrams of sodium and a half a gram of protein give this hot beverage the ability to keep your eyes open, but not much more.


Victor Prado

Not That: Lipton Tea (16 ounce)

A similarly sized tea brings in 208 calories and 49.14 grams of sugar. If you like tea, avoid the iced variety.

Drink This: Pepsi (16 ounce)

Pepsi over juice, you say? With 192 calories and 52.40 grams of sugar this soda is better in calories and sugar, but keep in mind it does lack other nutrients.

Not That: Dole Juice (15.2 ounce)

This bottle of juice contains 254 calories and 63.34 grams of carbohydrates. Fifty-five of those are grams of sugar.

Rochester Public Market

Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Your one-stop shop fresh and local food.

by Kyle Hugo


Stacy Pickering of Eaton Farms talks to a customer about different types of flowers on sale at the Public Market.
Chris Langer

n the heart of a city of over 200,000, one doesn’t exactly expect the crow of roosters early in the morning. Yet that is exactly what you will find at 280 N. Union St. Open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and various Sundays, the Rochester Public Market attracts vendors and patrons alike as the place for independent and local goods.

The history of the market dates back to 1827, when Rochester only had a population of about 5,000. The market’s current form didn’t come onto the scene until 1905. Since then, it has grown to house over 300 different vendors, both indoors and out. It features many local, family-owned farmers, wholesalers, and even a few small ethnic restaurant shacks. On occasion, there are special events that the market holds such as celebrations for the change of seasons, flea market days, artist or food festivals, and ethnic holidays.

Almost any item found at a normal grocery store can be found at the public market, including various fruits and vegetables, pasta, meats, dairy products, and other miscellaneous goods such as honey, flowers, soap and homemade crafts.

“It’s kind of like one stop shopping,” said Stacy Pickering of Eaton Farms, a retailer at the market. Shoppers can even find some foods that are not available in a typical supermarket, like different ethnic foods. Although most of these goods can be found within a 100-mile radius of the Rochester area, the market brings them closer to home.

“More people are getting into buying local,” Pickering continued. “It supports the local economy.” However, not all vendors get their produce and goods from local farmers. Exotics such as banana trees and pineapple bushes don’t exactly grow around Rochester; red snapper and cod aren’t available in Lake Erie, either. Despite the fact that most of the produce is local, some isn’t necessarily so; if you are specifically looking for local goods only, it’s best to ask.

Some go to the market for more than just the local products. Most of the time, shoppers can find these goods cheaper than at a normal grocery store. “You can get anything you want at a reasonable price,” explained Pickering. “Those who come to the Public Market are money conscious people.”

As usual, where there are shoppers with money to spend, there are also merchants peddling cheap throwaway wares. Much like a dollar store, some vendors sell low-priced, often unnecessary imports from low-wage countries. But unlike Wal-Mart, the profits made from these cheap goods go directly to the vendor instead of out of the Rochester area to corporations.

The Rochester Public Market grown over time along with Rochester and is an experience in itself. In addition to the hustle and bustle of business, consumers are also given the opportunity to see the faces behind the food that they buy. If you ever find yourself tired of the same old trip to the supermarket and want to add new flair to an old chore, head to the Public Market. Just make sure to arrive early - parking spaces fill quickly!

Restaurant Review: Sticky Lips Pit BBQ

Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

American Barbecue Entrées 7-20.

by Alex Rogala

When it comes to the Rochester barbecue scene, Dinosaur Bar B Que has the market cornered. So when RIT students get a hankerin’ for some good ol’ grilling, they hop in a car without considering the alternatives. Admittedly, Rochester may not be a barbecue mecca, but there are quite a few excellent, often-overlooked joints where diners can dig in and enjoy an amazing home-style meal.

It took a native Rochesterian to introduce me to Sticky Lips Pit BBQ, a sleepy little joint nestled in southeast Rochester. Built in a former car showroom, the establishment provides a gloriously hole-in-the-wall atmosphere. Framed pages from old magazines hang everywhere, and advertisements for everything from Chesterfields to vintage cars adorn the beadboard walls. The vibe is distinctly 1940s, and, late in the Rochester night, the dim lighting sets an ideal mood for a romantic rendezvous or a night out with the boys.

But what makes Sticky Lips stand out is not the atmosphere, but the food. The menu follows the credo that simple is better, and many favorites from the great American cookbook are present, including chicken, steak, and ribs. For the more adventurous diner, there are some more exotic dishes, including jambalaya, catfish, fried pickles, ratatouille, and “Ultimate Mac & Cheese”, a combination of macaroni, cheese, hot dogs, and chili (certainly not designed for the weak). Most entres are reasonably priced and tend to fall between 7-20. For guests over 21 the restaurant has a variety of standard-fare beers, as well as a “Finger Lakes Wine Tour,” a menu devoted to regional wines.

Perhaps the reason Sticky Lips is less well known than its reptilian respectin’ peer is its lack of a legacy. Founded in late 2004 by “Howie” Nielsen, also the owner of Park Avenue’s excellent Chester Cab Pizza, Sticky Lips is a relatively recent endeavor. Still, it’s unfair to compare the Sticky Lips to its better-known brethren, Dinosaur. Both provide their own unique experience, and in the long run, our stomachs come out the winner.

Check out Sticky Lips’ menu online at http://stickylipsbbq.com and visit them at 625 Culver Road.

At Your Leisure

Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Play with fire!

by Alex Rogala


Jamie Douglas

Stream of Facts

In 1989, the Anchor Steam Brewing Company brewed a beer crafted from an ancient Sumerian RECIPE dated 1800 B.C.

The RECIPE for KFC’s famous seasoning is one of the most carefully guarded secrets in the modern world. Each half of the spice is mixed at a separate factory before being combined at a third LOCATION.

The only LOCATION in the world to bottle the original recipe Dr. Pepper is a plant in Dublin, Texas. Refusing to update their image, the plant still bottles the famous SODA (complete with cane sugar) in glass bottles.

In 2004, the Jones SODA company first released a TURKEY and gravy flavored soda, now one of the company’s trademark seasonal beverages.

Now a long standing White House tradition, the first presidential pardon of one lucky Thanksgiving TURKEY was done by President BUSH in 1989.

President H.W. BUSH was an avid junk food fan, eating nachos by the plateful and even implementing a BROCCOLI ban on Air Force One in March 1990.

In the 1930s, BROCCOLI began to reach acceptance in the U.S., and although it has been around forever, many thought the PLANT had been newly developed.

The berries of synsepalum dulcificum, better known as the miracle berry PLANT, contain a chemical called miraculin, which makes sour foods taste SWEET.

James A. Dewar, the inventor of the Twinkie, had a notorious SWEET tooth, purportedly consuming over 40,000 of the SUGARY, frosted cakes during his lifetime.

The SUGARY wonder known as Kool Aid is the official soft DRINK of Nebraska.

A 2006 study showed that coffee can help protect the liver against cirrhosis, and those who DRINK just one cup a day have their risk of liver damage reduced by 20 percent.

Word Of The Week

Asinine- adj. extremely or utterly foolish.

The professor found Caroline’s story about Zombie Regan fighting a mutant broccoli army to be completely ASININE.

Definition taken from http://merriam-webster.com.

Overseen & Overheard

“Have you seen Pterodactyl porn? It’s the best dinosaur porn ever.”
— Students at table in Crossroads.

Female student sunbathing topless in front of Gannett Building.

Stress relief device in Engineering Building. (picture below)

Send your Overseen and Overheads with the phrase “Overseen and Overheard” in the subject line to leisure@reportermag.com. Now accepting cell phone pics!

Reporter Recommends

Flambing everything.

Fire is pretty much the coolest thing ever, second to food only because you can’t eat it. Yet, there is hope for those of you who want more fire in your stomach - the culinary art of flamb. Applying fire to food increases its awesome factor to an incomprehensible level, making the charred remains far more delectable than you could possibly dream. It’s a flexible art, and you can flamb nearly anything. Plus, it sounds totally fancy. Ice cream flamb? Hell yes. Double Down flamb? Yes, please. Cheeto flamb? It’s an easy trip to classy street. (We wouldn’t recommend Reporter flamb though. Or Everclear flamb. Those would probably end pretty badly.)

Haiku

Conti, Bogle fight
Over greasy foods galore
Heart disease likely.

What the @ is that?!

Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Answers.

by Laura Mandanas


Joi Ong

Cartoon: Green Technology

Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

by Jamie Douglas

The Perfect Mix

Fri, 07 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Remember: intro, rising action, climax, denouement and conclusion.

by Madeleine Villavicencio


Victor Prado

Whether you’re trying to make the cross country roadtrip with your buddies more memorable or attempting to win the affections of your biology lab crush, a good mixtape may be the solution. Imagine “Star Wars” without its iconic opening music or picture “Super Mario Bros.” without its background theme. Somehow, it’s just not as exciting. You, too, can have your very own epic soundtrack for all your adventures or make that special someone think fondly of you when they hear the opening notes of... “You Sexy Thing.”

Unfortunately, achieving perfection isn’t as simple as one would think. As Nick Hornby describes the practice in his novel “High Fidelity,” “You’ve got to kick it off with a corker, to hold the attention ... and you can’t have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you’ve done the whole thing in pairs... oh, there are loads of rules.” Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Select a Theme

Depending on the end goal, certain songs fit differently. If you’re going on a six-hour drive, then listening to a seven-minute song that drags on about the musician’s most recent heartbreak may not be the ideal choice. A theme is important when selecting the tracks because it makes sure that your message gets across.

Don’t Rely on Track Titles

A mixtape is a venue to express your creativity. If you want to woo someone, then tacking every song with “love” in the title is a bit dull, if not very cheesy. And if you’re dealing with a musical afficionado, you may find yourself at a loss when he or she asks whether it was the clever use of cultural instruments, the excessive use of hidden double entendres in the lyrics, or the fact that the artist managed to fit in five different movements in one song.

Utilize Social Media

If you’re planning on giving a mixtape as a gift, you may want to ensure that your target audience will enjoy your selections. Don’t worry you won’t have to break into the person’s apartment just to browse their CD collection. Social media has made this a little easier. Just log in to Pandora or Last.fm and check out their recently played list. If you’re lucky, that information may also be available on his or her Facebook profile.

Hide a Few Gems

It’s always a good idea to include a few “blasts from the past.” Some songs just evoke a certain emotion. If you don’t believe me, play any popular Spice Girls or Backstreet Boys song to group of girls (and a few boys) who grew up in the ‘90s and you’ll automatically get a sing-along going. In the same sense, “Living On A Prayer” and “Closing Time” are often choice last call songs in bars, depending on the average age of the tenants.

Avoid Obscurity for Obscurity’s Sake

A mixtape is a good place to discover new music, and it’s a good idea to include a song or two that you think the person may like. Just be careful; avoid filling your mixtape with songs no one has ever heard of. Familiarity brings about a feeling of connectivity that you don’t want to overlook.

Continuity Versus Variety

A mixtape doesn’t have to be your rsum; it doesn’t have to reflect your entire music collection. And if you have a broad musical taste, it certainly won’t. Yes, some may judge you based on your selections, but a mixtape is like a story: it has to rise and fall, and flow. And on a somewhat related note, you don’t want to start or end on your best song - there’s no denouement.

Perfect the Packaging

When all is said and done, don’t forget about the tiny details. Adding a title and album art may be tedious, but it’ll totally take it to the next level. If you aren’t as confident with your art skills (or if you aren’t in the mood to burn a CD), Think Geek has got you covered. They have a 128 MB USB drive that comes packaged as an old analog audio cassette tape.

Forget the Track List

One of the best experiences of listening to a mixtape is wondering what’ll come next. The anticipation can heighten the feeling of pleasant surprise when your all-time favorite song blasts through the speakers or when that ridiculous ‘80s pop song comes out of nowhere. Plus, it gives the recipient a reason to ask you about track titles, if breaking the ice is what you’re going for.

At Your Leisure

Fri, 07 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Get up from that computer chair and go outside!

by Alex Rogala

Stream of Facts

Anechoic chambers, rooms that absorb internal and external sounds, are used for acoustic experiments where outside sound cannot be present.

Operation Acoustic Kitty, a CIA project in the early 1960s, was intended to use microphones surgically embedded in cats to spy on adversaries. The project was deemed a failure when, during its first field test, the cat was immediately run over by a taxi.

After the recent eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull, British comedian John Cleese took a taxi from Oslo to Brussels. At the ride’s end, the fare for the 900-mile journey amounted to 5,000.

Before becoming famous, Journey vocalist Steve Perry was shaken by the death of The Alien Project bandmate Richard Michaels, and almost left the music industry.

In the 1979 sci-fi thriller “Alien”, the title characters were portrayed by Bolaji Badejo, a 7-foot-tall Nigerian design student discovered in a bar by the casting team.

In June 2005, a bar of soap crafted from the liposuctioned fat of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi sold for 18,000 at a Swiss art museum.

In early 2010, Swiss animal rights groups proposed a system of lawyers to represent animals in court. Ultimately, the idea - presented in a referendum this March - was rejected by 70 percent of voters.

Even with their salaries combined, all nine Supreme Court justices still earn less than TV personality Judge Judy.

Boy Scouts in the Los Angeles area can earn a “Respect Copyrights” activity patch - developed in collaboration with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) - after completing readings on the evils of piracy.

As a measure against piracy, many ships are equipped with Long-Range Acoustical Device (LARD), a system that emits a beam of sound that can shatter eardrums at close range.

Word Of The Week

quaff - v. to drink a beverage copiously and heartily.

While attempting to filet a fish, the two friends quaffed scotch by the glassful.

Definition taken from http://merriam-webster.com.

Overseen & Overheard

“914 joules! Damn!”
— Male student at Commons

“I want to blow up Target!”
— Male student in GBLT office

Car covered in saran wrap

Send your Overseen and Overheads with the phrase “Overseen and Overheard” in the subject line to leisure@reportermag.com. Now accepting cell phone pics!

Reporter Recommends

Going outside.

So you’ve hit level 80, conquered Azeroth, and amassed a wardrobe full of purples. Unfortunately, this also means the Lich King has seen more daylight than you, and your roommate’s girlfriend is giving you the evil eye. But fear not, brave warrior, there is a world beyond the mountains of empty dew bottles, beyond the residual Cheeto dust that lingers in the air. And it’s totally free.

But seriously, guys, the dorms are no place to whittle away sunny spring days. Read a book under a tree, play hopscotch, or scout out Rochester’s bike trails. Even twiddle your thumbs - so long as you’re doing it outside. Enjoy these weeks while you have them, because all too soon Rochester will once again be buried under blankets of snow.

Haiku

Just looked in my fridge
Several new life forms there
Might just eat Gracie’s

Quote

“If I seem free, it’s because I’m always running.”
- Jim Hendrix

3D!

Fri, 07 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

How those pesky glasses really work.

by Kyle Hugo


Jamie Douglas

There’s a trend sweeping movie theaters nationwide. In addition to buying a ticket and a bag of popcorn, people are getting special spectacles to undergo an eye-popping experience. With the release of James Cameron’s “Avatar”, there has been a sudden influx of movies with 3D versions including “Clash of the Titans”, “Alice in Wonderland” and “How to Train Your Dragon.”

History

As far back as 1922, early 3D films were being shown to audiences. Several movie producers and directors attempted to take advantage of the promising technology, but interest in 3D movies declined with the advent of the Great Depression. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s as the nation started to recover, new technologies that supported 3D films were created; these included polarized projection and color film. But with the United States’ entry into World War II, 3D films were taken out of the spotlight for about a decade.

Known as the “Golden Era” of 3D, the 1950s were a time of marked interest in 3D films. The films were created with polarized filters and interlocking projectors. With 3D’s newfound success, production companies started to jump on the bandwagon to get a piece of the trend. Warner Bros., Paramount, Disney, and 20th Century Fox, eager to cash in on positive audience reactions, all started investing into their own 3D movies. Despite its success, it was not without flaws. One caveat of methods involving two projectors was that both needed to be synched to the same place in the film, as well as the same focus. If one projection was slightly off from the other, the viewer would experience mild eye strain. Looking for cheaper ways to bring in viewers to films, production companies began to hold back investments in 3D films until they nearly disappeared in 1955.

Throughout the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, 3D films came mostly in the form of kitsch and campy sci-fi and sexploitation films. Then, nearing the end of the 1980s, new technologies were in development that would enable high definition 3D film. Two technologies at the forefront were IMAX and digital cinematography. Since the creation of these technologies, 3D has been used on and off through the 90s and into the 21st century. Only time will tell if 3D is only a fad or if it will progress through the next decade.

How It Works

What makes 3D imaging possible is a quality of human sight known as binocular vision. Humans have two eyes close together that see two separate images. These two separate images allow us to have depth perception. 3D imaging takes advantage of this by manipulating what is filtered through to each eye. There are primarily two different ways to do this: with varying colored lenses blocking differently colored images; or with polarized lenses that block horizontally polarized light to one eye, and vertically polarized light to the other.

Used commonly when 3D was in its infancy, the red and blue (sometimes red and green) tinted lenses are the stereotype of 3D glasses. This technology essentially uses two separate images in two different colors. Two projectors are used to make one image in red the other in blue or green. The lenses in the glasses block out their respective on—screen color, allowing only the other color to pass through, creating separate images for each eye. Unfortunately, this limits the color palate to an extreme, allowing only two colors.

One alternate method of generating a 3D image is by using differently polarized light. This is more common in today’s 3D imaging. Instead of red and blue lenses, the glasses are set to block differently polarized light in each eye. Much like the older technology, each lens has filters that block out the other image, once again creating a different image for each eye. What makes this system more popular is that it only requires one projector, making it easier and cheaper to install and maintain. Though its popularity is largely a result of its color friendly nature. With polarized 3D, colors display as they normally would on a 2D movie screen, providing a full 3D effect without color loss.

There are many other techniques to accomplish 3D imaging, such as LCD shutter glass, or using the Pulfrich Effect, a system utilizing glasses with light and dark lenses. Some are easier and cheaper, while others give a better quality. As more technology is developed and tried, the quality of 3D images will increase as it becomes cheaper and more available.

Future of 3D

Since the release of “Avatar” and a popularity surge surrounding 3D, companies are eager to hop on board and bring this technology into the home. Various products have already been released and more will soon be released to consumers. Sony is already advertising (and selling in select locations) 3D capable televisions. Consumer point-and-shoot digital cameras are being developed, like Fuji’s FinePix Real 3D W1. And not-so-consumer priced video recorders, like Panasonic’s AG3DA1, are in the works as well.

More noteworthy to some RIT students is the development of 3D video games. New games and devices are being developed for the 3D gamer, such as the Nintendo 3DS, which is planned to feature glasses-free 3D. Games ranging from first person shooters to racing to other popular games such as “Rock Band” are all planned to have 3D releases in the future.

Taking a look back through history, 3D movies have graced the silver screens on and off through the decades. But is the latest trend going to make 3D movies a natural occurrence on the big screen or in our homes? Some say it is merely a gimmick and a fad that has no kind of legitimate position in society, a trend that will burn in and out. 3D fads have come and gone before, only the public can decide if it is here to stay.