kickin' new flavor in ya ear

You can now simulate someone's heartbeat?

Thu, 03 May 2012 17:07:15 -0400

There seems to be no limits on what technology can do and definitely are completely comfortable creating things that to most would seem odd.

In Japan, Hiroshi Ishiguro, a professor and robot designer just created “Hugvie.” It is a huggable body pillow that adds a physical sensation with someone you are on the phone with. If you are in a long distance relationship or just for some reason can’t be with your partner at the moment it could be somewhat of a great filler for when you’re lonely. This still seems very odd to me.

Let me explain how exactly it works, first you place your cellphone in the pocket of the hugvie which is located on the head and then you just squeeze, hold, hug it while you talk on the phone. This is where it gets creepy (if you’re not creeped out already) there are two vibrating discs that can simulate the caller’s heartbeat.

It’s hard to tell if it will actually be a popular product. The Hugvie does make sense to create now more than ever since people are not always with one another, but personally I just could not see myself using one and I wouldn’t really want my significant other using one either.

It will be interesting to see the success of this product and if it will make it into the US markets. What do you think of it?

http://youtu.be/nJXkL7bcQR0

Cause Marketing, saving one honey bee at a time

Tue, 01 May 2012 23:18:36 -0400

There are many stories of companies losing their crediblity and fan base from cause marketing scenarios gone bad. Many times it is hard to rise from a failure and prove that the company has learned and is wiser than before.

Are you reading this wondering what am I talking about? Well, cause marketing is a commercial activity that aligns a company brand with a cause to generate business and social benefit. It loves to involve the consumers emotions.

Haagen-Dazs ice cream, besides being delicious and a wonderful treat has made some great cause marketing moves lately. Since honeybees are disappearing at an alarming rate. According to Hubpages.com, “So if honey bees disappear and we do not find replacements that can do the work they do then foods that we take for granted will decrease in supply and increase in price.” Foods such as watermelon, apples, almonds, cantaloupe, avocado, blueberries, etc.

So, Haagen-Daz made a “microsite” to raise awareness and let this epidemic be known to their consumers. Besides making the problem known, they decided to donate a portion of their honey bee brand to research. This led led to a huge Twitter campaign craze where they raised $7,000 in two days by using the hashtag, #HelpHoneyBees.

This is a great example that with genuine care and interest in a matter, a company can make cause marketing work and hopefully make a difference.

Check out this video Burts Bees made about the honey bee epidemic:

http://youtu.be/unca1QR3nLs

Interacting in a virtual world

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 02:23:00 -0400

I decided to buy a Farmville virtual good card. I signed onto Facebook, typed my code in and received 55 dollars in farm cash, (unfortunately, this is not real money) and let the madness began!

I decided to play until I used all my money and was decently satisfied by how my farm turned out. To summarize, I planted 10 crops, bought two animals a sheep and a brontosaurus, and I planted four trees. After taking care of my crops, I ran out o money and felt that it was time to end the game. It never really interested me. Fake realities never and will never excite me even if it is just a game. At times it depresses me to be honest.

While playing Farmville, I had two of my virtual neighbors stop by to join them in a picnic and later I was invited to a tea party. If this was real life I would be estactic and very intrigued manly because people do not take part in activites such as that as much anymore. But when these avatars invited who are complete strangers who are really just sitting in front of a computer screen probably showing zero emotion invited me it turned me off.

I enjoy communicating with people in person, face-to-face, I’m not even a big phone person because of this reason, but a phone is neccesary at times. People nowadays have problems communicating with others in person and I think it is only getting worse. I like to be active and actually go OUTSIDE and have a picnic then attend one on a computer. People are living this fake life maybe because they do not feel fulfilled in their actual one, but they should just try a little harder to interact with out a screen in front of them.

According to Facebook, Farmville has 26 million users monthly! That number is insane, think of the life you could be living off the computer instead of spending hours lining up your crops just right and earning tons of coins.

Fellow readers, do you agree with my long (and meaningful) rant? Or are you plowing your fields as we speak?

Virtual Goods, are they worth it?

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:16:00 -0400

When we were assigned to buy virtual goods to play games online, I thought that this was a bit ridiculous. I have never been a fan of online gaming and anything that is virtual, for example second life. I feel as though people that have this “other life” online and interact with people only via the Internet have something wrong with them. Why not live your real life out to the fullest instead of making friends and connecting with people in this essentially fake world.

I’ll stop being so cynical for a moment and try to understand what it all really means. A virtual good is a “non-physical object purchased for use in online communities or online games.” This always stumps me, why in the world would someone buy a card for 15 dollars to use on a game and buy things with it that are actually fake? This never made sense. Personally, I would feel as though I am wasting my money on fake things that will never amount to anything.

On the other hand, there seems to be positive points to using virtual goods. In 2010, Zynga had limited edition items in games such as FarmVille, Mafia Wars, FishVille that users purchased and the proceeds went to victims of the Haiti earthquake. Users from 47 different countries contributed to it. they received over a half a million dollars in donations.

All in all, there are positives in virtual gaming that I never knew about until recently. Maybe when I start to actually play the games I will understand why it is such a lucrative business.

source: http://simonmainwaring.com/future/how-social-gaming-uses-virtual-giving-to-get-real-results/

The way mobile phones are changing society

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:30:00 -0400

I received my first cell phone when I was 14 years old for strictly a safety device since I was traveling to and from school by myself. I didn’t really start texting until maybe freshman year of high school. This all seems crazy to imagine the beginnings of cell phone use, but it’s true. Cell phones are everywhere we go now and at times this terrifies me. For the past two summers I have been a camp counselor taking care of kids ages 5-12. There were three kids in my group who at the oldest were 7 and already had an iPhone or blackberry besides also owning either and iTouch, iPad or macbook. And two out of three of these kids lost their mobile phone at some point during camp. To me, this is ludicrous, I even think a middle schooler would be too young for devices such as these. Why are we giving kids mobile phones that so expensive that they do not even know the real cost of it.

I guess I just miss simpler times. There are days when I just shut my phone off and leave it home or keep it away from me so I can just relax and actually talk to people in person and try my best to pretend for a few days that there is no such things as cell phones. Unfortunately this is nearly impossible. According to CNN Tech, there are about “5 billion phone connections in the world.” So, with numbers like that you’re lucky if you see only two phones a day.

I guess I just need to accept the fact that cell phones are changing every aspect of how we interact with others and the world. I guess when you think about it, it’s a pretty amazing thing that technology is doing in this day and age.

Is Pinterest here to stay?

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:38:00 -0500

I first heard about Pinterest about three months ago from my friend that was already obsessed and had over ten boards filled with her interests. So I signed up, was later invited and joined, but that was that until this week. I went back onto the website to find something to write about for my blog I realized how useful it is for organizations and for people trying to build their brand.

Personally, I feel as though I am a part of too many social networking sites that at least for right now Pinterest is not really interesting me. But millions of pins are added weekly and just recently it drove more traffic to its site than YouTube, LinkedIn and Google+ combined. Now that’s really saying something!

According to Pinterest’s website they “want to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting.” I think they are doing just that.

Most companies, stores and organizations now have a Pinterest which is very worthwhile to them. They are able to spread their product to a wider audience now and create more traffic to their website since everything is linked to avoid copyright issues.

Since it is still a relatively new website, I guess we will have to wait and see who if anyone really will benefit from Pinterest. What do you think?

http://mashable.com/2012/02/01/pinterest-traffic-study/

Obama faces challenges in 2012 re-election

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:51:00 -0500

Obama has some big shoes to fill in the case of running for re-election this year and it is his own. In 2008, Obama was all over every socail media tool you could think of and on every screen around you. Now that he is president you don’t hear as much from him anymore which is understandable, but now since he is running for another term he needs to step it up.

According to Mashable.com, his voters ages 29 and younger were his main supporters and it is often hard to keep a steady connection with them. Generation Y’s bounce back and forth to certain social media tools and it is not always simple to figure out which one has a stronger following.

When Obama became president there was so much hope in our country (and do not get me wrong there still is) but the economy has not changed much since then and the job market has only gotten a tiny bit better. One of his main goals are to “put Americans back to work” but according to the 2010 Census Bureau 1 in 3 Americans ages 20-29 are unemployed. Also with the Occupy movements over the last few months it would be in his best interest to try and connect with the 99%. He somehow needs to appeal to these people and bring back the hope they had in him in 2008.

Another obstacle he faces is how the social networking world has expanded. Facebook now has 700 million more members then 2008, 48 hours of video are uploaded every minute on YouTube now. In 2008 it was 13 hours. The list can go on and on, some socail networking sites that are prominent now never existed then, example Foursquare.

Obama needs to find new, creative and innovative ways to use his social media outlets to connect with his supporters. He needs to stand out among his competitors.

Voters need to have a distinct reason and trust in a person to vote for them. According to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) voting has dropped by 60% in 2010 within the 18-29 age group. This is a huge problem since these are the people that were Obama’s biggest supporters in 2008.

With these challenges that Obama faces, he needs to connect with his followers in a way that he never has before to really stand out and make his non-believers believe in him again. What do you think Obama should focus on in his re-election campaign?

Magazines: allowing readers to make decisions?

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:57:00 -0500

According to Wikipedia, crowdsourcing is “outsourcing tasks traditionally performed by an employee or contractor to a large group of people.

Print magazine publications have been on the decline for a while now because of the rapid growth of social media. People think that there is no point in buying the printed magazine when they can get the sane issue on their laptop, iPad, smartphone, etc. Magazines needed to think of a way to catch their audience’s attention again. And some have done just that.

The August 18, 2011 issue of Rolling Stone magazine sparked interest from thousands of fans. Rolling Stone decided to have a contest similar to American Idol. The winner would appear on the cover, received a contract with Atlantic Records and preformed on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”

The catch was that in order for fans to vote for their favorite artist they had to go on their website and during the contest Rolling Stone had almost two million people visit.

The band that won was The Sheepdogs from Canada. Currently they bumped Adele for the number one position on the charts there and two of their albums are in the top 5 in Itunes. Rolling Stone is planning on holding the same contest next year.

Being on the cover of Rolling Stone use to mean that you made it in the music industry, you were a true rockstar, but now having contests such as this only show how these companies are just desperate to gain more followers.

Companies are starting to think of new and innovative ways to catch their readers attention and crowdsourcing will definitely help.

Super Bowl on a "Second Screen"

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:44:00 -0500

Social media is an ever changing tool and because of that advertisers and marketers need to be on the look out for the most innovative ways they can reach out to their audience.

The 46th annual Super Bowl will be this Sunday, February 4th, 6:30 ET on NBC. Which means, over 100 million people will be watching the game with bated breath. During the breaks when people are conversing with one another about if they thought a certain play was fair or not and eating tons of chicken wings, commercials will be airing.

Super Bowl commercials are always one of the most exciting parts about the Super Bowl, but this year they became modernized in a way. Companies such as; Cheverolet, Coca Cola and Toyota are reaching out to their viewers through a “second screen.”

Toyota is using Twitter as a marketing tool by asking people to use thier hashtag “reinvented” for their new Camry and tweet about products that should be reinvented.

According to the Washington Post, ” There will be more than 70 TV ads during the Super Bowl battling for attention.” Companies want their viewers to be discussing their commercials on any and all socail networking sites. Because any buzz is good buzz, right?

Volkswagon released a 30-second clip of their commerical that was posted on YouTube.com on January 18th and since then has over 10 million views today. What will happen when the commercial actually airs on television? This brings an interesting question to the table, How long will the hype last?”

By the time the commercial airs, will people completely disregard it since they watched most of it YouTube multiple times that there is no reason watch it on television. Or, it could have a completely positive result and generate tons of hits and continue to air even after Super Bowl Sunday.

In reality, this is all just an experiment. Companies need to find new and creative ways of reaching out to their audience and the only way they can do that it is going for it. The most popular Super Bowl commercial lies in any companies hands.

Check out a snippet of the Volkswagon commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ntDYjS0Y3w

Sources: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/super-bowl-marketers-target-smartphones-laptops-movie-screens/2012/02/01/gIQAvhQNhQ_story.html\

Two ENTIRE days without facebook, is it possible?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:20:13 -0500

I am finally onto my second day of not using facebook and it has not been easy. Every time I open a new tab on my laptop I immediately press the “F” on my keyboard. Instantly, I press the backspace button and take a sigh of relief that I was able to stop myself.

Most times I never have any reason to be on Facebook, but if I’m bored, my mind (and my fingers) often wander there.

Since this famine I’ve realized how much facebook is a part of my life. And I can say that I’m not proud of it. To me, it is so meaningless to have such a tie to a social media site. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that you are able to connect with anyone in the world, but it is unnecessary to be on it once a day let a lone multiple times.

Since we live in such a social and digital world now it is almost impossible to say that it is wiser to use less of it. Our world is way too fast paced that unfortunately we are not really able to slow down. Personally, I think everyone should take a break at times and relax and connect with people the old fashion way, face-to-face.

Leave the phones, computers and even MP3 players at home. Take a deep breath; they will be there when you return.

Instead, enjoy everything around you. Literally laugh out loud instead of just typing “LOL”.

As I sit here on my computer one day into my famine, I take comfort in the fact that in less than 12 hours I’ll be able to go right back on to facebook, but now I know I won’t be wasting time. And two days without it isn’t bad at all. Who knows, maybe next time I’ll try a week!

I advise YOU to do the same, take a break from some kind of social media site that you love for a few days and let me know how it went.

Students prepare for another Spring Weekend

Wed, 11 May 2011 01:40:00 -0400

ST. BONAVENTURE (May 10) - To describe Spring Weekend in five words, Lauryn Shea Klingler, a junior political science major, said, “drunken college students causing scenes.”

Danny Bush, a sophomore journalism and mass communication major, has a different view. He does not drink. Bush described Spring Weekend as “ unreasonable, socially acceptable, stage-one alcoholism.”

Spring Weekend represents two visions of Bonaventure students: the happy, go-lucky drunks and the sensible sober ones.

Spring Weekend is a four-day event held on the last weekend of April every year when students play softball, listen to live music, enjoy the beautiful weather and spend time with friends before the year comes to an end.

“For only one weekend the school accepts drinking as much as students want out in the open, but you can’t do that any other weekend, which is hypocrisy. But I feel it is safer than having students drink in secrecy in their rooms. The level of alcohol consumption is absolutely irresponsible,” said Bush.

Jessica Rehac, a sophomore education major, pays close attention to her friends to make sure no one gets hurt or sick.

“Most of the people I know know their limits and know how to keep themselves from getting hurt during this fun weekend,” said Rehac.

Kyle Zappia, a junior journalism and mass communication major, has worries about Spring Weekend- the softball games. There are 64 games played throughout the weekend with roughly 20 people on each team. That is 1300 of the 1900 undergraduates that take part in this activity at Bonaventure.

“I‘m concerned with people who are overly intoxicated at the softball games. While playing defense I’ve seen some people take balls to the head because of their slow reaction time, and I’m always scared that a drunk batter will let go of the bat and hit someone with it,” said Zappia.

Students said that the Bonaventure community sees Spring Weekend as good fun. But for some people it can be much worse.

Some students such as Sinead Coleman, a junior biology major, are disappointed that binge drinking coincides with Spring Weekend.

“It kind of stinks that in order for the whole school to get outside and do something it involves drinking. At least it pushes people outside to enjoy our lovely, beautiful campus,” said Coleman.

Samuel Wilson, a junior journalism and mass communication major, drank too much his freshman year during Spring Weekend, but he has learned from that.

“I know I handled my second Spring Weekend much better than my first. I felt like a kid at a candy shop as a wee freshman. I enjoyed myself and still made it through all the festivities last year,” said Wilson.

Coleman said that there’s a unity at Bonaventure. Students actually care about one another.

“I compare our Spring Weekend to University of Connecticut’s in which hundreds of people get arrested, there are fights and even a murder last year. Every Spring Weekend I have been to at Bonaventure has been safe and fun. Everyone is too busy enjoying the rare, warmer weather to be negative,” said Coleman.

A junior accounting major, Lauren Cassidy, agreed that spring weekend holds some kind of unity with everyone.

“I do think everyone looks out for each other. I think it might be due to the ‘team’ aspect the softball games bring to Spring Weekend,” said Cassidy.

“I think people do look out for one another. No one wants problems to happen at an event that’s fun, but students shouldn’t rely on others to look out for them. It you take care of yourself, then most likely no problems will occur,” says Zappia.

Although Spring Weekend can be dangerous, students agreed that it’s the most exciting weekend all year. And every student has a different reason as to why.

“It’s fun to be on a softball team with all of my friends and party right before finals. I think it’s a great thing to have at the end of the semester as a way of wrapping up the year and starting off summer with a fun experience,” said Klingler.

College lifestyles are not obvious among students

Wed, 11 May 2011 01:38:00 -0400

ST. BONAVENTURE (April 15) – “I live a different lifestyle when I’m at school,” said Jessica Misiaszek, a junior journalism and mass communication major at St. Bonaventure University.

Misiaszek said she takes 18 credits and has a 3.46 GPA to maintain while being the captain of her rugby team and working as a study hall monitor in the athletic department in the basement of the Reilly Center.

“When I’m home for breaks I socialize a lot more on the weekends than I do at school because I don’t have to worry about homework,” said Misiaszek.

Students said college life consists of concern about grades, social life and sleeping.

Caitlin Murtagh, a junior childhood studies major, said that she doesn’t stress out over her classes. Instead, she focuses more on the social aspects of college such as the parties on the weekend rather than her classes.

“I am more concerned about the parties and/or bars my friends and I are going to during the weekend than my work. I know it sounds bad, but I’m passing all of my classes, and that’s good for me,” said Murtagh. She said she has a 3.0 GPA. According to the registrar’s office, the average GPA of all undergraduates during the Fall 2010 semester was 3.0.

Students said they have different views on where their priorities lie in college.

Katherine Burt, a junior journalism and mass communication major, gives ample time to herself to study and maintain her 3.5 GPA and still be a board member at WSBU-FM, the campus radio station and be a resident assistant in Devereux.

“My priorities are all of my extracurriculars on campus. Sometimes they take priority over my class work. I like to be busy,” said Burt.

Some students need an outlet to relax from their course work such as a junior journalism and mass communication major, Jaelyn Thurner. To do that she goes to the Sandra A. and William L. Richter Center gym between classes.

“I’ve begun to implement a healthier lifestyle for myself by going to the gym in between my classes, which makes me able to focus more on my workload. It’s a great feeling,” said Thurner. She did not provide her GPA.

Ben Freeland, a sophomore journalism and mass communication major has priorities. He said his four jobs on and off-campus are more important than having a social life in college. His GPA was not given.

“At times I wish that I was able to hang out with my friends more, but I realize that I cannot complain because I love my jobs,” said Freeland.

“ My first job I teach Zumba (a dance class) at the Richter Center. My second job I work at the office of event management. My third job I coach cheerleading and gymnastics in Buffalo. And my fourth job is also in Buffalo where I judge cheerleading and dance competitions,” said Freeland.

Christopher Radey, a junior English major who has a 3.8 GPA, enjoys the company of his friends.

“I try to balance my days with enough work and relaxation, but also new and interesting things that I won’t be able to experience when I am outside of the realm of college. Such as hiking the mountains around campus, walking on the trail behind school and volunteering at the Warming House when I’m free. I love spending time with people of all different kinds,” said Radey.

Not every student can meet the demands a college level class entails, some said.

Patrick Connolly, a recent graduate of Bonaventure and aspiring poet, said he became too stressed over his school work that defined his life.

“I took too many classes and I felt like there was this heavy weight inside my chest where the bones were attached to a bunch of bricks and they kept getting heavier and heavier, until it felt like I couldn’t breathe,” said Connolly.

Students said they felt it important to enjoy college but agreed schoolwork is their number one priority.

“My priorities are to get passing grades and graduate on time. If I was ever doing poorly in a class I would cut down on partying, said Murtagh.

A sophomore elementary education major, Rebecca Weitzel, said she knows when to socialize and when to get serious with schoolwork.

“My college schedule is stressful, from classes to tutoring, to rugby practice and then fitting in homework. I sometimes become overwhelmed. I basically live for the weekends. It gives me a chance to breathe,” said Weitzel. She has a 3.8 GPA.

Every student has a different view on how to live out their four years at college, but all agreed that having a good support system such as friends, is always beneficial.

Students fondness for work-study jobs vary

Wed, 11 May 2011 01:31:00 -0400

ST. BONAVENTURE (Mar. 24)- Michelle Mills, a sophomore biology major at St. Bonaventure University, fed and cleaned the cages in the basement of the animal lab in De La Roche Hall, the main science building, for three semesters until one day when she decided it was time to quit.

“The rats freak me out, and I smell like a hamster cage basically when I walk out of the animal lab,” she said.

Chelsea Sawaya, a sophomore journalism and mass communication major, had a reason for quitting her three-semester job as a lifeguard at the Reilly Center’s pool, the central athletic building.

“It was pointless. I would have stayed if I was able to work more, but two days a week just isn’t enough. Also, $7.25 an hour just wasn’t enough,” she said.

Gail Marasco is the assistant director of Financial Aid. She said the school is not to blame for the wages. A student can only earn a certain amount, but if they wanted more money they could have more than one job.

According to the university student employment handbook, departments must pay 25 percent of a student’s wages. The federal government pays the remaining 75 percent.

Sawaya’s not thrilled at the number of workdays the work-study jobs give. Marasco later said that jobs tend to hire too many students, which cuts everyone’s pay.

Levi Trimble, a junior journalism and mass communication major, said he enjoys working as the soundboard operator at the Rigas Family Theater in The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts except the amount of time he works.

“The Quick has had to cut funds to their employees due to the fact that attendance is down and revenue has been lost. Therefore, if there is an open show, I have to take it to be able to make any money,” he said.

Molly Inglut, a sophomore journalism and mass communication major, enjoys her campus job. Inglut works in the journalism and mass communication’s office as a secretary.

“I have no complaints and am sincerely grateful for the job because of the great experiences I get”, said Inglut.

Lauren Caulfield, a junior psychology major agreed that her job checking in and out books, laptops and cameras at the front desk of the Friedsman Memorial Library is valuable.

“I met a lot of people working at the library. I was either working with people I don’t know or having conversations with people that were checking out items,” she said.

Many students such as Caulfield and Trimble have been grateful for their jobs, but not everyone can even receive a job.

Sophomore Maria Swieciki, a history major, Spanish minor, had a connection for a job. Swieciki files, photocopies and puts prospective students names into the computer at the admissions office in Hopkins Hall.

“My boss, Mary Telford, knew my uncle when he went to school here, so she told me about the job at Hopkins and gave it to me,” she said.

Jenna Jones, a sophomore business major, sits at the front desk making sure people swipe their ID at the desk as they enter. Also, she oversees the other student workers at the Sandra A. and William L. Richter Center. Her brother, a recent graduate, recommended her for the job.

“No, it wasn’t difficult to get the job. My brother has worked there since he was a sophomore, so he got me in touch with the director,” she said.

A work-study job is for students with financial aid. Mills and Swieciki agreed they never saved their paychecks to pay for school.

“I basically use the paychecks as play money. If I need to get something at Walmart or other things,” said Mills.

Trimble said that he cashes his checks and saves them. It depends if he needs the money. “Every now and then I need some cash for off campus food, occasional weekend to have a good time or money in case of an emergency. Half of my check goes to the school for deposits though”, he said.

Meanwhile, Katie Cooper, a senior psychology major saves her paychecks when she can. But at times she needs to use her paychecks to buy groceries, gas and have spending money for the weekend, she said.

Inglut said she usually uses her paycheck as spending money for the weekend, but last semester she saved her paychecks to buy books and supplies for this semester.

Cooper said, “It seems as though students are using their paychecks more for themselves then for their college education”

Students may complain about on campus jobs, but all agree that having one is better than having no job at all.

The Kills- Blood Pressures

Wed, 11 May 2011 01:27:00 -0400

The Kills are known for their sound and

they do not disappoint. Their massive

drum machines are featured in almost

every song, and in “Nail In My Coffin,” they

use a ping pong ball for a different effect

that really shows how innovative they are

as musicians.

In “Wild Charms,” Jamie Hince takes

over with a calmer, gentler feel, almost as a

break in the album before Mosshart takes

a deep breath and yelps and snarls through

the rest of the album.

On one of the most soulful tracks, “The

Last Goodbye,” Mosshart says, “I cannot

rely on a half-hearted love that will never

be whole.” It’s soft and quiet while she

realizes she needs to get over a relationship

that has been one-sided all along.

Blood Pressures is a great album, but

nothing really jumped out at me. I wanted

to learn something new through their

music that I didn’t know before.

Check out rising rap collab Odd Future

Wed, 11 May 2011 01:16:00 -0400

There’s a new revolution in rap music

and it’s called Odd Future, or as their full

name, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All

(OFWGKTA). The group from Los Angeles

is comprised of 11 rappers and producers

all between the ages of 16 and 23. One

of their members, Earl, is missing, too.

Sounds insane, right? Well, it is.

So far, they have eight albums all for free

download on their website. Their tracks are

the rawest cuts out there, blasting anything

or anyone that is not cool enough to them.

They have this dark humor where

they enjoy causing scenes and pushing

boundaries to freak people out. They

rap about extreme violence, explicit sex,

Satan, not having a father figure, hurting

mainstream pop artists, how they hate

Steve Harvey, etc. You get it.

The group is led by Tyler the Creator.

He has this menacing dark growl. His first

studio-produced album, Goblin, will be out

May 10.

In one of Tyler’s first songs, “Sarah,”

he raps about murdering a girl he likes

because she won’t go to prom with him. It’s

interesting to get inside OFWKTA’s head

(or at least try to). Kanye West called his video “Yonkers” one of the best in 2011.

Their concerts have been compared to

a punk show filled with blood, spit, stage

diving, crowd surfing and moshing. They

have become labeled as “horrorcore,”

which they find as an insult.

Their music really cannot be put into a

category now; nothing compares to them.

They are extremely dark with secrets

scattered around all of their songs—you

just need to piece it all together.

When listening, you may have no idea

what you are getting yourself into, but

you’ll think, how did you enjoy music

without them?

Lykke Li Gets Darker On Wounded Rhymes

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:32:00 -0400

Listen to Wounded Rhymes on constant

repeat any given day, and Lykke Li will

speak to your woul.

Wounded Rhymes, Lykke’s second

album, is a bit darker and deeper than her

first, but it feels truer. Fans that fell in love

with her first album, Youth Novels, will

be taken aback for a second. But just keep

listening. She jumps between powerful

and vulnerable, and you will want to hear

the difference.

This album was written after Lykke took

an existentialist trip into the California

desert. Wounded Rhymes is not suited for

your stereotypical sunny California life-

style, but more for a dreary rainy day.

There are 10 tracks on this album, and

each one has some kind of heartbreak at-

tached to it. It creates a deeper effect on

the listeners and affects her voice in the

best way.

“Love Out of Lust” is kind of a love ode

to someone that you like for the moment,

but not forever: “I’d rather die in your arms

than die lonesome.” Lykke is just saying

that you’re good enough for now until I

find something better.

In “Unrequited Love,” Lykke sheds her

emotions about getting over a guy who

does not have the same feelings for her.

Then, toward the end, she gives the song

a ‘60s twist with shoo-wops in the back-

ground of her singing. It adds a lot of soul.

Her single “I Follow Rivers” has this up-

beat tempo with tribal percussion and a

line that goes, “Oh I’d follow, I’d follow you

deep sea baby.” It’s kind of heartwarming

to see affection like that in an album where

it is lacking.

It’s an angsty album talking about pain,

heartache, needing someone, the blues

and running away to a better place. It’s as

if she hasn’t grown up yet. It makes you

realize that your problems when you were

younger are unfortunately still prevalent as

you grow.

The Dears' Degeneration Street Drags

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:25:00 -0400

After their three-year hiatus, The Dears

are back and worse than ever with their

fifth full-length album, Degeneration

Street. According to the Merriam-Webster

dictionary, degeneration means, “a lower-

ing of effective power, vitality, or essen-

tial quality to an enfeebled and worsened

kind of state,” and that’s what their album

sounds like. It’s as if they somehow went

backwards with their music. You might

think to yourself, “How can it get worse?”

But it does.

The album as a whole sounds the same,

and it’s too emotional for anyone to care.

Every song starts out with a slow tempo,

where suddenly the beat picks up, and lead

singer Murray Lightburn starts crooning

where his falsetto strikes again.

Under the same producer as Beck and Belle

& Sebastian, it’s still lacking substance.

It seems as though they’re just trying too

hard to sound like other bands when they

should really have their own voice.

If they record another album, I would

advise growing up a little and stop com-

plaining about your lives. Make music that

people care about and will want to listen to.

College students are too distracted to study

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 02:32:00 -0500

St. Bonaventure, N.Y. (Feb. 11) – College students have made it clear that the people and places they surround themselves with distract them greatly.

Alexandra Notaro, a sophomore journalism/mass communication major walks into the Friedsman Memorial Library with the purpose to study. Notaro walks up the stairs onto the top floor, also known as the “quiet floor” and opts for a cubicle on the far right.

Notaro says, “Whenever I go to the library I can never bring my laptop because I will instantly go on facebook and do any possible thing besides my homework”.

Many people said it’s as possible to work in their room as it is for St. Bonaventure University to construct underground tunnels so students never need to face the cold again.

Shannon Shepherd, a junior journalism/mass communication major said that during the winter months she never wants to leave her room to study “the cold puts me in a bad mood.”

Students said distractions such as their friends talking to them or the Internet can be the main reason it takes two hours to write a paper.

Erica Mungall, a junior environmental science major, said, “I do get distracted easily, especially by “people watching”. If I’m studying with a group of classmates, I have to sit with my back to the rest of the room in order to prevent me from people watching.”

Mungall said, “It is important to find a place or room where everything is clutter free and quiet. So a cubicle all the way in the back of the top floor of the library is the place for me.”

Shepherd also agreed with Mungall, “I get distracted by any outside noise. I lose all train of thought! I have to be somewhere quiet to be productive.”

Emilee Lindner, a junior journalism/mass communication major, said since she now lives in the townhouses, she has her own room. Unlike last year, when she shared a room and never could concentrate on her homework, now her roommates go to sleep at 10 p.m. and no one’s around to distract her.

Madelyn Perez, a journalism major at Syracuse University, said she feels most comfortable studying in her room.

“The library is too far from my dorm, so especially in the winter I just feel as though it is easier to just study in my room. I just need someone to hide my computer from me”, said Perez.

Since the St. Bonaventure University has approximately 2,000 undergraduates, students can get to a study spot such as the downstairs of the library in the education section.

Perez said,” Living on a big campus everything becomes a blur, and people get lost. It’s definitely not a calm setting to work in.”

Colleen Hawkins, an education major, agreed with Notaro that the quiet floor at the library is the best place to study.

Notaro said, “Quietness and no distractions and no Facebook which is a huge distraction while I’m studying.”Perez’s ideal study setting was a bit different. “One that is not totally quiet, no Internet, can’t put me to sleep and good lighting.”

Students said the hard part’s finding out what’s most comfortable for you and there are people who enjoy a quiet setting while studying.

Then there are others who would much rather prefer people around them talking, and listening to music since the silence distracts them.

Mungall said, “I can study with others for tests and such, but only if they are students from my class because then we can hold discussions.”

Students agreed that positives and negatives occur in every situation, but it is up to you to figure out how you are most effective and comfortable in your own environment.

Buzz Board Members Attend College Music Journal Music Marathon

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 02:30:00 -0500

I squished myself into the backseat and slammed the door of

Zack’s Prius. We were set out on the open road. With only one

destination, New York City. Oh, and Zack’s Grandma Sophie’s for

some breakfast sandwiches and lunch to go. The trip down re-

minded me of summer family vacations where you sleep most of

the way and are completely cramped in the backseat, but excited

for what lies ahead.

After 5 ½ hours of driving (with Zack pulling over outside the

Delaware Water Gap to pick up a chocolate turtle he dropped un-

der his seat) we arrived in Astoria, Queens, at Mike’s apartment

(former station manager), where we would call home for the next

five days.

The CMJ Music Marathon can be summed up in four simple

words: “What happened last night?!” From staying up until five

or six in the morning and then waking up and going to concerts

all day long, your nights become a blur. It’s a crazy life, but some-

one’s got to live it. And that was Pete, Zack and me.

Seeing over 24 bands live can be crazy. These are the basics I

learned about CMJ: 1. You’re lucky if you can shower (r to

dry your hair). 2. Always have your Metrocard at the ready so you

never look like a tool. 3. Take everything that’s free: stickers, T-

shirts, hotdogs, you name it. 4. NEVER drink a 5 Hour Energy at

midnight. 5. Always eat breakfast at Othello’s Deli on 24th Ave. in

Queens. 6. Never stand in someone’s way at a concert or you’ll get

punched in the nose (true story, I witnessed it). 7. DO NOT drink

too many liquids (cough cough, Pete).

My favorite concerts coincidentally occurred at my favorite ven-

ues. The first night (Wednesday) we went over to Santo’s Party

House which had disco balls in about every corner of the place

with a giant Santa above the stage in a space suit. What was con-

veinent about this venue was that there were two stages—one up-

stairs and one downstairs—which was perfect. That night, we saw

Tamaryn, DOM, Diamond Rings, Marnie Stern, Wild Nothing,

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and special guests, The Drums. It was so

exciting, the crowd was wild. Dale rocked The Beach Boys cover of

“God Only Knows,” really making it their own.

The Extra Lens at Mercury Lounge on Thursday was the most

entertaining concert I have ever been to. The music was amaz-

ing and beautiful, but what really made it was the commentary in

between every song. John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats con-

stantly made the crowd roar with laughter.

By far, my favorite concert would have to be our last night at The

Bowery Ballroom, when we saw Neon Indian and Surfer Blood

(among many others). Neon Indian completely blew me away,

their sound was insane, the audience was in a dream-like trance.

So many other things occurred at CMJ, but you know how that saying goes,

“What happens at CMJ stays at CMJ.” Although I lost

two IDs, broke the zipper on my purse and lost a strap on my fa-

vorite pair of boots and never did get to eat at Mars 2112, it was

without a doubt something I will never forget.

Until next time, CMJ, <3.

check out “5 Rings”

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 02:25:56 -0500

check out “5 Rings”