Universal Halloween Horror Nights & The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Damian Gordon
South Campus Bureau Chief

    There’s a place to find magic, monsters and more, all in one spot. It’s that time of year where Universal Orlando turns its park into another world with Halloween Horror Nights and the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

    Platform Nine & Three Quarters and Hogsmade look like the exact sets from the movie. The items and stores located around the area fit the theme and it’s not just “oh hey look, a ‘Men in Black’ shirt is being randomly sold in a wand shop.”

    Featuring many items and shops from the series, any one visitor can visit series shops like Ollivander’s Wand Shop or Leaky Cauldron, or try some Butterbeer or Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans.

    There is a dragon on top of the Gringotts Bank roaring and breathing fireballs, helping to promote the feeling that a visitor is in a world of fantasy.

    There is a new train system if you have both passes for parks on the same day. You can ride the Hogwarts Express to get to Islands of Adventure and back. Enjoy Harry Potter spectacles like Hagrid flying his motorbike outside window or Harry and company fighting Death Eaters on the train through silhouettes.

    The King’s Cross Station looks like its actual London counterpart. Appearing as if you went from Florida to the U.K in an instant after stepping foot onto the paved streets.

    Dining at the Hard Rock Café before entering Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) was great. The place was lively, and the service was fast and timely as the waiters were eccentric, only helping to enforce the larger than life experience.

    Just entering HHN, there was a creepy atmosphere about the park. A drastic change in appearance, compared to when we were there, earlier before.

    Ghoulish creatures and deviant masked figures now filled the streets, lunging at any incoming visitors that crossed their paths.

    I puffed up my chest and walked into the streets…ended up being the first one to jump like Scooby Doo into someone’s arms at the first ghoul to jump out.

    The horror houses featured this year are “Halloween,” “The Walking Dead,” “Alien vs Predator,” “Dracula Untold,” “Dusk Till Dawn” and more.

    It doesn’t matter if you saw something jump out the corner in one of the horror houses. When walking up to that same corner, a heart attack will come up just the same.

    Nobody is safe just because they left a horror house; there are zones throughout the park like the “Face Off” and “The Purge” sections.

    Entering “The Purge” is an effective scare tactic, because it feels like Universal just fell into complete chaos and everything is real.

    People walking around with chainsaws, machetes, and more are among some of the items these individuals carry around.

    A human auction takes place at certain times in the night and is entertaining to watch. Fans of the film will enjoy it that much more.

    “The Walking Dead” and “Dusk” are less scary and more so cool recreations of their respective settings. It’s surreal to walk through the prison or the bar in its respective series.

    Some advice would be to get an Express Pass to make the lines much shorter and the night will go much smoother.

    Entering the Halloween house went like this: “We’re all gonna to stick together.” Then it became “every man for themselves; throw the women for escape,” really quick.

    In an interview with the director of HHN on what’s the most effective type of scare, he said. “I think just when you boil everything down, pop out scare is the best scare… There’s a lot of tweaks and different ways you can do it,” said the director.

    “Rocky Horror Picture Show” was going on and it was a nice palate cleanser, as the cult classic engrossed and raised some eye brows in the audience. It’s weird, over-the-top and just the kind of entertainment needed after being scared half to death.

    Overall, it’s impressive that Universal is always changing up its park and adding new elements. HHN possibly has the scariest horror houses ever made, second only to living in an actual haunted mansion.

    If you can come out of a horror house with a smile (and pissed jeans) then something has to be going incredibly right. Right? Don’t judge. There is a reason why Universal and its Halloween Horror Nights are a staple of Orlando.

The "Alexander And the Terrible" is Not Terrible Review

Damian Gordon
South Campus Bureau Chief

    Disney must be putting something in the water, because it’s hard not to come out of their movies with a smile. “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” carries the mojo that makes people enjoy their projects.

    When Alexander Cooper (Ed Oxenbould) makes a wish on his birthday for his family to see what it’s like to have day like his, things start to get from terrible, to horrible and very bad for all of them.

    The film becomes increasingly entertaining when you see each members’ day get progressively worse. Ranging from catching on fire to getting attacked by a kangaroo, no one is spared from this unpleasant day.

    “Alexander” starts out following the same beats as any of these family movies. Kid is unpopular. His family members have better lives and don’t understand his struggles. Then, it takes that premise and shakes it up just enough to differ itself from the others in the genre.

    Adults, teens and children can all find something to enjoy and relate to here. Whether it be from relationship problems with a girlfriend, conflicts between work and family, or not being popular in school.

    It can’t be a Disney flick without a heartwarming moment; even Ebenezer Scrooge would have let out an “aww” while watching this.

    Steve Carrel’s character, Ben Cooper, is the most sympathetic as the positive dad, and even as his day gets worse, he tries to keep up the spirits of the family up. It’s hard not to adore Carrel in any character he portrays, as he brings that extra “something” to his role.

    Becky, played by Sidney Fullmer, is Alexander’s love interest and acts as if English is her second language: she nods back with an almost blank stare at Alexander’s comments. It’s unintentionally funny to watch this as the two share scenes together.

    It’s 2014 and Hollywood is still getting actors that barely look anything like the age they are supposed to be playing. It’s only second behind it’s obsession with remaking older films over and over again.

    The older brother, Anthony (Dylan Minnette) and his girlfriend Celia are a little jarring to watch as high school students at first because it’s almost like an old couple snuck into a random school and were role playing as students. He looks old enough to have been there to pick up his own kids.

    Paul (Mekai Curtis), who is Alexander’s best friend, was anything but that, as he was willing to abandon Alexander’s birthday for a more popular kid’s event on the same day. Which only hammers the fact that even his “best friend” is, at best, an acquaintance.

    I had a bad day coming into the theatre; then after leaving, the movie somehow made it better with the realization that my day was nowhere as bad as the characters in the movie.

    Nothing bad can really be said about this film as it does everything by the book, for the most part. It doesn’t excel and leave the viewer amazed, but instead leaves them having a feel good time.

    Going to see this is a nice pallet cleanse now that the summer blockbuster season has ended. “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” is short, sweet and doesn’t overstay its welcome. With other films trying to be three hour epics these days, it’s nice to get out a film before grey hair stars growing.

Interview With An Underground Artist: Deniro Farrar

Tiffany Baez
Contributing Writer

(MIAMI)- Let’s face it; the music industry is competitive. There are hundreds, even thousands of artists who work hard to make it to the top. Some may say it’s a matter of luck, while others insist it’s all about talent and knowing the right people. Rising artist, Deniro Farrar on his Bow Down Tour with Denzel Curry, explains his journey on making it in the industry along with a few fun facts.

Where are you from?
-Charlotte, North Carolina

How long have you been in the Industry?
-Since 2010.

What advice do you give to aspiring artist?
-You get out what you put in. In order to see yourself succeed, you got to be able to but in 100 percent effort.

What made you want to start your career?
-God gave me the talent, and I’ve always loved music.

What’s the most difficult part of your career?
-Leaving my sons and family.

What is the most enjoyable part of going on tour?
-Getting to do what I love, performing.

Are you working on anything new?
-Yes actually, I’m working on a new EP with Ryan Hemsworth.

Who would be your dream artist to tour with?
-Kendrick Lamar and PartyNextDoor.

What are some artist that you listen to in your spare time?
-James Blake, Purity Ring, Little Dragon, Coldplay, PartyNextDoor.

What is your all time favorite food?
-Alfredo!!

Which artist would you say inspires your work?
-2Pac

What’s an interesting fact about you?
-I don’t smoke or drink and I have no piercings.

Do you have a quote that you live by?
-He who lives in fear lives not.

Any hobbies?
-I like exercising and running.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
-I live my life a moment at a time I never know what life will throw at me.

Deniro Farrar has a burning passion for his career as a performer, and he definitely couldn’t have made it alone. Throughout the interview he would reiterate how his kids are a huge impact on his career, being his biggest inspiration.

As we concluded the interview, he introduced me to his friends whom were all on tour with him and described how each one had a specific duty: cameraman, merchandiser, driver and promoter. Hence, there’s more than what meets the eyes.

iPhone Announcement

Ryan Serpico
Staff Writer

    Apple held their annual iPhone event in the Flint Center recently, the very same place where Steve Jobs announced the original Macintosh 30 years prior, to announce their latest incarnation of iPhone along with their newest product, the Apple Watch.

    “Today we are launching the biggest advancement in the history of iPhone,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook at the beginning of the Keynote. Apple introduced not one new iPhone on Tuesday, but two, a 4.7–inch iPhone 6 and a 5.5–inch iPhone 6 Plus. Both feature an enlarged screen in comparison to the previous generation iPhone 5S, where the only choice was a 4-inch model.

    Both iPhone 6 variants feature a new curved design that tosses out the sharp edged design language that the past two generations featured, while also being thinner and lighter than the prior generation. Inside, both feature an improved processor, improved cameras and an all new barometer sensor to measure elevation while running.

    The internals within both new variants are identical to each other, besides the iPhone Plus featuring optical image stabilization, which uses hardware to stabilize shaky photos instead of software image stabilization that the standard iPhone 6 still uses. The iPhone 6 Plus also has improved battery life over the standard iPhone 6 by a couple of hours while browsing the web over LTE.

    Apple also revealed their own mobile payment solution that they dub Apple Pay, which allows iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users to use their phones to pay for real world items in physical stores. Apple Pay makes use of the near field communication (NFC) chip that comes with the new iPhones to communicate with readers on merchant’s registers to pay for the items they want. An advantage over normal plastic debit and credit cards that they hit hard on was security, because in order to actually use your card you must authenticate every purchase with your fingerprint. So if a user loses their iPhone, they do not have to worry about their credit card information getting stolen because the thief cannot replicate your fingerprint.

    After showing off all the new features of the new iPhone, Tim Cook started reviewing what they had announced for the day, but Cook was far from over and made it clear when he said that he had “one more thing” to share with everyone. That thing was the long rumored Apple Watch, Apple’s first new product since the iPad which was announced back in 2010.

    The Apple Watch features three ways of input: digital touch (which is what is used now in modern smartphones), “force touch” which uses electrodes around the screen to differentiate a tap from a hard press to bring up alternative menus, and a digital crown—a knob on the side of the watch that acts not only as a home button, but also as a way to scroll through lists and zoom in and out of apps like maps.

    Health and fitness was shown off as a predominant feature of the Apple Watch. With its heart rate monitor and M8 processor, the Apple Watch measures your steps and elevation without much effect on battery life. The device also features a new way of communicating with others by actually enabling you to send your heartbeat to a loved one if you are away from each other.

    The Apple Watch features much variation with its two sizes of three different models of Apple Watch. There is the standard Apple Watch, which features a hard to scratch sapphire screen and stainless steel enclosure, the Apple Watch Sport that has the same screen protection as the iPhone, with an aluminum enclosure, and the Apple Watch Edition which is the same as the standard Apple Watch besides the fact that it’s made of 18 karat gold. You can also customize the watchbands that the Apple Watch has with the six different bands that Apple offers.

    Like other smart watches on the market, the Apple Watch will allow you to view your notifications on your wrist and act on them, rather than pulling your phone out every time you hear your phone make a sound. Examples of this include replying to your friend’s text by using your voice, or getting directions from the Maps app. What is really different, though, is that you will be able to distinguish whether to go left or right, while driving, without looking at your wrist because the watch will create distinct haptic vibrations that will tell you which way to turn.

    Apple says that the Apple Watch will go on sale early 2015 at a base price of $349.

Ishion Hutchinson

Phillip McField
Staff Writer

    Born in Port Antonio, Jamaica, Ishion Hutchinson not only wanted to make a career but a life out of literature. To him, the exact time where he knew that poetry would become a main staple of his identity was in high school; after submitting an essay to his teacher, his teacher handed it back to him, and said that it was a “long, boring narrative poem.” Luckily, the teacher decided to give Hutchinson a chance to hone this, inviting him to come afterschool to get it out of his system. “It was a punishment,” Hutchinson said, “that turned into a blessing.”

    And what a blessing it turned out to be. With his talent and drive, Ishion Hutchinson earned a B.A. at the University of West Indies, a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A) at New York University and a Ph.D. at the University of Utah.

    His works have appeared in The Common, Poetry Review, Granta, The Huffington Post and other journals and anthologies. Several of his works went on to secure him the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award, a Whiting Writers’ Award and the Academy of American Poets’ Larry Levis Prize.

    On Sept. 18, the Honors Committee and the Hannah Kahn Poetry Foundation brought Hutchinson to South Campus. Guests entered the Student Life center, some with journals and pens in hand and the rest with just the shirts on their backs, for a live reading from this award-winning author.

    Barbara Nightingale, the South Campus Coordinator, introduced the renowned poet to an applauding audience. He greeted the audience and presented his book, “Far District: Poems,” to everyone before beginning.

    For the next hour, attendees were treated to pieces from his book and brand new ones as well. Each of the 12 poems felt like they had weight behind them; the free verse style he chose for each poem conveyed the character’s emotions in an unrestrained way, making the stories feel genuine and real.

    One poem, called “The Mother Tortured,” was a powerful catharsis about a boy’s sick mother. The boy watches helplessly as his mother goes mad before him and his sister. The mother is bound to the bed, grunting and screaming, and frothing at the mouth. In the end, the boy begs for his father, who abandoned them for the streets of England, to give his mother back.

    The end of every piece was met with satisfied applause from the audience. Whether the guests came just to listen or to take notes from a professional, they got more than they expected that night. “I really enjoyed Mr. Hutchinson’s performance, even though I don’t really [indulge] in poetry myself,” said Michelle Barnett, a biology major. “I do listen to music, though.”

    Demitrey Johnson, a music technology major, expressed interest in having the poet come back for another performance. “I thought it was refreshing to hear somebody with a different perspective than other poets, like his life growing up in Jamaica. I would definitely want him to come back here again.”

    Barbara Nightingale found the event to be a success, and when asked about future literary events on South Campus, she wanted to have a few next semester. “We’re having several events planned, all the way until Poetry Month in April.”

    Ishion Hutchinson is the Assistant Professor of English at Cornell University and a contributing editor to the literary journal, Tongue: A Journal of Writing & Art. His award-winning poetry anthology, “Far District: Poems” (2010), costs $15.99 on his website, www.ishionhutchinson.com.

Cholesterol Education Month

Phillip McField

Staff Writer

    It’s that time of year again, people. The time when many set up an appointment for a lipid profile and modify their lifestyle in order to curb their LDL levels. The time when a juicy burger is substituted for an organic salad, and time to dust off the ole treadmill. No, this is not about New Year’s resolutions; this is about Cholesterol Education Month.

    Every September, health professionals bring the dangers of poor dieting into the light with a whole month dedicated to teaching people about cholesterol. Medicines, exercising plans and other recommendations are posted on various sources to raise awareness.

    The condition known globally as high cholesterol is an epidemic in the United States. Over 102 million American adults are living with this and only one-third of them actually get treatment. If left unchecked, high cholesterol can lead to a multitude of health problems like Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

    Unfortunately, high cholesterol is not limited to adults. Children that suffer from obesity, diabetes, or any sort of exposure to tobacco are at risk for this condition. Teens and young adults should also get screened every five years for preventive measures.

    Despite the common belief that cholesterol is harmful in general, that is simply not the case. There are two types of cholesterol found in the body: HDL (High-density lipoprotein) and LDL (Low-density lipoprotein). HDL is the good one, providing cells with nutrients to keep them alive while its evil twin LDL blocks arteries with plaque while cackling and twirling its moustache.

    Having an artery clogged is only a small danger when it comes to having high levels of LDL. If a piece of plaque were to break off, it would be carried throughout the bloodstream until it would get stuck, and as a result, a stroke or heart attack can occur.

    Although it is best to keep a low LDL level, the ideal levels differ depending on a person’s susceptibility to heart disease. 130 mg/dL is the recommended target for the average American, but an individual that is at risk for heart disease should keep their levels below 100 mg/dL, while an individual at very high risk must keep their levels below 70 mg/dL.

    Another danger of having high cholesterol is its lack of symptoms—you could have it right now and never truly know it. Because of this, health professionals advise patients to get a lipid profile (or a screening), especially if cholesterol problems are hereditary.

    Thankfully, there are four different ways to fend off this condition:

    1. Engaging in at least thirty minutes of physical activity a day can help keep cholesterol from rising. Preferred exercises are walking, jogging, biking and even gardening.

    2. Keeping a healthy weight is a must. Being overweight or obese increases the amount of LDL in the blood.

    3. Abstain from smoking, or quit as soon as possible. Cigarette smoke lowers HDL levels, increasing the chances of blood clots forming and damaging blood vessels.

    4. Avoiding non-fatty foods is also a good strategy. Lean cuts of meat, oatmeal, fish and raw nuts are but a few healthy choices. Studies also show that consuming the chemical known as “flavonoids,” found in dark chocolate and red wine, lowers LDL levels (just keep the term “moderation” in mind).

    For some, high cholesterol is an easy thing to manage, but for others it can be difficult. So hopefully this information can help those who are struggling to live a healthier lifestyle.

“He’s Dead”

Damian Gordon

South Campus Bureau Chief

    When you come out of a horror movie laughing, something has gone terribly wrong…or maybe right in this case.

    “As Above, So Below” is about a team of explorers that search the catacombs of Paris, where they uncover the horrors beneath the streets they walk. Centering on Scarlett (Perdita Weeks), she uncovers a clue in Iran that leads her and others into madness.

    This one of the very few horror movies that gives legitimate reasons for why the characters can’t leave or have a reason to be there. It’s not hard to feel sympathy for these characters because they’re not dumb teens tripping into Jason’s machete.

    When everything starts to go wrong, everybody else but Scarlett is smart enough to want out. She has the power of being the lead actress, while everyone else with less screen time knows better— to fear for their lives. 

    Before it became somewhat of a joke, where the movie shines is in the character department. A sense of fear for many of these characters’ lives can be felt.

    Papillion (François Civil) was the standout actor as his charisma carried the movie; he played the team’s guide and it would be hard for anyone to not want to follow him. I look forward to seeing him in other projects in the future.

    A thing about these “found footage” movies is that when the interesting events start to happen, nothing can be seen because the camera is all over the place.

    There are points throughout the movie where it’s going “hey, there’s so much scary stuff going on,” while shaking the camera. That’s great Movie, except nobody can see any of it and it feels like you’re hiding the fact that nothing’s actually going on.

    “As Above, So Below” had some tension up to a certain point halfway through the movie, but then lost it due to the fact that nothing was happening and anything that did just received laughs from the audience.

    The acting all around was very solid; it was just the dialogue that dragged it down sometimes. Some of the moments would have been frightening if there wasn’t a horrible line before it making the crowd giggle.

    Scarlett enters a tomb to find a mummy lying on a table and says, “He’s dead.” Now, I may not know much about mummies, but one important fact about them is that they’re all dead.

    Near the end, everything gets crazy and it feels like an amusement park’s fun house gone wrong. This is where the handy cam truly works in pulling the viewer. 

    When the movie introduced Benji (Edwin Hodge), the token black guy, as soon as he came on screen, the first thought that came to mind was “R.I.P.” 

    In a claustrophobe’s worst nightmare, part of the movie features a trapped Benji, and I found myself squirming in the seat and even finding it harder to breathe.

    As an adventure movie with horror elements, “As Above, So Below” would succeed. It takes the audience on an entertaining quest, but it’s not so much on the level of being a horror film.

    This is a great date night movie. Its runtime is not long and whoever is scared of horror movies would definitely be able to watch this.

Online Dating: Are these People Fact or Fiction?

Ashley Lokken
Central Campus Bureau Chief

    With technology growing rapidly every year, more and more people in society are participating in online relationships. New apps such as Tinder, Badoo, and Hot Or Not (just to name a few) make it exceptionally simple for people to intermingle. Some may say it is “easier” to meet people online then it is to meet them in-person, but the real question is whom exactly are you talking to? On the Internet, anybody can be anybody.

    I believe seeing someone in person carries more value. There, you witness their personality traits, habits, facial expressions etc. You can’t decipher those aspects as easily on the Internet. On the other hand, I do know some people that have met on the Internet and are still together after years. I am not implying all online relationships have a destructive outcome; instead, I am informing about negative events that can happen when meeting someone on the Internet, that way one is able to take certain precautions. According to the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, “only one in three people will report sexual crimes to a trusted adult.”

    I have come to a conclusion of what makes online dating so appealing and it’s the fact that one is able to get to know the person from the inside out, without seeing and judging the person’s appearance first. Numerous young people suffer from image distortion, causing them to be unconfident about the way they look. Online dating gives people a sense of comfort and security because of this.

    However, some people take that aspect to the extreme. If you have watched MTV’s hit television show “Catfish,” you would see that some people are so insecure, they actually change their appearance to make someone like them more. This is not difficult to do on the Internet; all it takes is to upload someone else’s picture that may appear to be “more attractive” and use it as their own picture. Simple as that. Despite its simplicity, this can be tremendously dangerous. Sex offenders can use this method to make themselves look younger and more attractive to invite young women or men in. You may think to yourself, “how could anyone be so gullible to fall for this?” The fact is, there are some very ‘gullible’ people out there looking to be loved.

    However, some people on the show “Catfish” do get lucky and the person they thought they were talking to turns out to be exactly that person. But the majority of people on the show end up talking to someone completely opposite of whom they expected.

    A few ways you can determine if the person is authentic is by asking them to Skype or use some sort of webcam program. If they make up excuses such as, “I don’t have a webcam,” or, “sorry I’m always so busy; I have no time to video chat,” chances are there is something sketchy going on with them. Another way to determine if the person is a fraud is if they ask you for favors such as sending them money or asking you to do strange tasks. Also, if you ask them to meet up and they have an excuse every time, you should be wary. These circumstances should bring up a red flag in your logic.

    If the person does agree to meet up, it is vital to remember to take someone with you or meet in a crowded place where you are visible for everyone to see, just incase. Young people are kidnapped all the time because they forget about these important precautions. According to a 2008 report by the Rochester Institute for Technology, “14 percent [of students in the 10th-12th grade] have accepted an invitation to meet an online stranger.”

    Another study from the Journal of Adolescent Health shows that the majority of Internet-initiated sex crimes against minors are initiated in chat rooms. “In 82% of online sex crimes against minors, the offender used the victim’s social networking site to gain information about the victim’s likes and dislikes.”

    There are actual, legitimate statistics showing that meeting people online can be unsafe. Therefore, forming online relationships is a risky endeavor, and it is extremely important to take the precautions listed above. Internet dating may be comfortable, but I would warn to not become too contented. As a society we need to be more aware of our youth and not hesitate to report something that doesn't seem right.

Athleticism Exposed: The “Real” Reason Why Humans Play Sports

Antoi Sayers
Staff Writer

    Imagine it. A sports player flies down a field, court, or pitch. They carry a spherical instrument made of

animal skin towards a set goal. Their lungs shrivel and contract. Their body purges itself of water, and their heart races far past a sustainable rate. Do they make it? That does not matter. What does matter is why they find themselves in this situation in the first place.

    Today, in America alone, millions of children, teenagers, and full grown adults will play a sport. Be it the three giants, football, basketball, and baseball, or less athletically taxing offerings like croquet, curling and golf. Almost none of these people will pinch themselves and ask why they put themselves through these acts that make no sense when explained out loud. What do they stand to gain by reaching these arbitrary and ultimately woefully unnecessary goals? Why do we play sports?

    It turns out that a large part of that answer lies in the culprit for all aggressive and competitive activities—the opposite sex. But what is it about sports that makes us attractive to our prospective mates? Researchers now believe symmetry is to blame, and that makes sense. Athletic talent, especially that which is given naturally, is very hard to come by, and those who have a half of their bodies significantly longer or shorter than the other half will have a much harder time playing, much less excelling at a sport.

    Karl Grammar, a German ethologist and evolutionary biologist, studies facial symmetry and how it affects those we are attracted to; his findings concluded, “faces created by combining individual faces into composites [were] shown to be more attractive than the individual faces.” It is biologically natural to find people with symmetrical faces and bodies more attractive. It is something that cannot be consciously controlled because of evolutionary traits gained when humans were nothing more than nomadic hunters and gatherers. This was when human survival was a lot less of a sure thing and our biggest enemies were bacteria.

    In his report on human symmetry, B. C. Jones, a Professor in the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow said, “disease and infections during physical development cause small imperfections (asymmetries). Thus only individuals who are able to withstand infections (those with strong immune systems) are successful in developing symmetric physical traits.” Those with strong immune systems are what we were looking for 2000 years ago, and it's what we look for now, whether we realize it or not. The biological arms race has not ended yet.

    These holdover traits are apparent in other unexplainable, but important, parts of human life like kissing. The act of two individuals pressing their germ infested mouths together and mixing their fundamentally different DNA with saliva is not necessary for any kind of relationship, yet almost every human has or will do it sometime in their lives. Researchers believe that this was a way of bolstering our own immune systems with the germs of another, thus getting our offspring used to certain diseases before they were born.

    Though most of us will never realize it, whether someone kicks a ball, hits a puck, or swings a bat, they don't do it for the fun or energy release that they believe they do. They do it because of the biological longing deep within them, the longing to attract someone special to share their life with.

Mink - Makeup Printer

Marie Wisa Beauge
Staff Writer

    What do Maybelline, L’Oreal, Avon, Elf, Clinique and Mary Kay all have in common? They are all makeup brands that are trending in the beauty department section of your local drug store. Technology has helped shape numerous industries including cosmetics, and now, thanks to Harvard student Grace Choi, a 3D printer that can be used at home to print any shade of makeup has been invented.

    For the average female American that enjoys wearing makeup but finds themselves living paycheck to paycheck, it would be an investment to buy eye shadow from Elf, concealer from L’Oreal, lipstick from Maybelline, perfume from Avon, nail polish from Clinique and foundation from Mary Kay. That would mean a constant saving from each paycheck, and spending cuts from the “wants” to supply only the “needs” in order to have that collection. Of course one color of eye shadow, lipstick and nail polish is not enough. There has to be a red, pink, brown, black, turquoise and even white to match the desired funky style. And that means getting up, driving to a local store, walking to the beauty section, and choosing from the millions of other products there. The struggle is even worse if the right shade of foundation is not available, and two different shades have to be bought and mixed to acquire the preferred color. It’s a hard job to be beautiful!

    With the invention of the 3D printer called Mink, the problems of convenience and color choice are solved. The days where the average woman would have to spend hundreds of dollars on different makeup brands or have to struggle to find the makeup with the perfect shade are over.

    Choi, a business major, realized that the makeup industry makes a lot of money selling products to dark skin and Caucasian skin, while Asians and Indian women have trouble finding the right shade of foundation. As a result, she invented Mink. It uses the same ink that makeup companies use. This printer can “print” eye shadow, foundation, lipstick, polish, you name it. The process is as follows: You obtain a white palette, insert it into the printer, go on the computer, and choose a color on a website (Pinterest board, YouTube channel, etc.), your E-mail or bank account. You can also snap one with your phone in the real world, and use any color picker to locate the hex code of the color. Once you have the code, you can put it into any photo-editing program like Photoshop or Paint and simply press print. To demonstrate that it worked, at a conference about her invention, Choi printed an eye shadow and brushed it on her hand.

    Grace Choi plans on going to the big printer corporations to strike a deal as far as the selling of the printer goes. The Mink costs a little under $200 and plans to go on sale later this year. The targeted age group is between 13 and 21 years of age, for they are still experimenting with makeup, and should do so without paying the big prices for color selection. Choi explains that makeup companies use color and raw materials and “jack” the price to make profit. She gives the user choice of color and the raw material is very cheap to obtain.

    I believe that this will drive teens and young adults to the electronic section of stores where the Mink will be sold in the future. In theory, Mink sounds amazing. Let’s see what will happen in practice.

http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/05/mink-is-a-3d-printer-for-makeup/