E-News

By wpengine | September 27, 2002

Lost in Space

Ever hopeful, N’Sync member Lance Bass has resumed training in Russia’s Star City with hopes of boarding a future space flight.

For those of you who aren’t 10 years old or condemned to the hell that is my Daily Sun career, which requires me to follow N’Sync news on a weekly basis, Bass had plans to fly on a Russian rocket flight in October but was booted after failing to cough up the million dollar payment. He was replaced on the mission list by an extra cargo container.

Meanwhile, Bass’ production company is planning a musical about space — thus proving that Bass’ love of space isn’t just a brief flirtation, but is in fact full-blown obsessive insanity. The show will feature a combination of computer animation and live “actors,” and will be based on the beloved children’s literary classic Nose Pickers from Outer Space.

Compare this to Bass’s bandmate Justin Timberlake’s current project: writing and producing a television message against drinking and driving after a drunk driver ran into a line of Timberlake fans waiting for an autograph. I don’t think Timberlake has to worry about Britney being snatched up by his bandmates anytime soon.

Doomed

Warner Bros. is finishing talks to secure the film rights to id Software’s hit video game Doom. The studio claims it plans to release a PG-13 movie, apparently avoiding the graphic violence that made the game so controversial.

The 1993 smash hit involved you, the player, in the role of a Space Marine fighting for his life in a research station on Mars that was taken over by demons from Hell. Gameplay consisted of you turning undead zombie soldiers into bloody smears with your sawed-off shotgun and melting vile Cacodemons from the Ninth Circle with your plasma rifle.

Exactly what part of the game is Warner Bros. going to retain for their non-violent movie? I don’t think it’s even legal to use the terms “non-violent” and “Doom,” in the same sentence.

I’ve never understood why people freaked out so much over Doom — it’s not like you were shooting up adorable puppy dogs. These were ravenous, infernal demonspawn from the depths of Hell you were blowing away here. It’s anti-Satan — you’d think Middle America would promote that kind of thing.

Besides, if you did a study I’m pretty sure you’ll find things like musicals called Nose Pickers from Outer Space inspire more violent rampages than first person shooters.

Fighting Mad

Two men were recently arrested in San Diego for paying street people to fight each other and filming it for fun and profit. The videos are being sold over an internet site spoofing Fight Club, which I’m actually glad I found as it won me a bet with my friend that there’s stuff on the net more tasteless than bondage bestiality nun porn.

According to E! Online, the enterprising duo was busted in San Diego and “charged with conspiracy, solicitation of a felony crime and illegally paying people to fight.”

If convicted, I suggest the pair be forced to use special Fight Club bars of soap designed with extra slickness for enhanced dropability. It’ll give them the chance to feel what it’s like to be used for other people’s amusement.

Archived article by Matt Chock

Soccer Succumbs to Penn in Double OT

By wpengine September 30, 2002

The men’s soccer team (3-2-1, 0-1 Ivy) dropped a hard fought overtime decision 2-1 to Penn (5-1, 1-0 Ivy) Saturday night. In a true battle, the Quakers needed 104 minutes to defeat the Red on Berman Field in front of a huge crowd of alumni and fans. “Anytime you lose a game like that, an Ivy League game, in sudden death, in front of your fans and all of your alumni, it’s tough to stomach. It’s tough to take, but we’ll live to fight another day,” said head coach Bryan Scales of the loss. It was a game of the goalies as senior Doug Allan finished the night with six saves, a few made at point blank range to keep the Red in the game. “I thought Doug had a good game. He has to be razor sharp, it allows us more room for error, and so when you have a sharp goalkeeper back there, it gives us a little bit more room for error,” said Scales. However it was Penn’s keeper, junior Matt Haefner, who was unbeatable and finished the night with eight saves. Haefner stopped three strong Red scoring opportunities during regulation to help the Quakers win the game. “He saved a penalty kick, that’s tough to do, and it was a good save,” praised Scales. “Liam hit it well and their goalkeeper, I think, came up big on a lot of different occasions today. He was a big difference.” The Quakers first opportunity to score came 21 minutes into the first half. Allan came out to challenge a Penn attacker who got off a chip just before Allan was able to tackle him. However, senior captain Liam Hoban got in and made the stop before the ball crossed the goal line. “They worked extremely hard today, dealing with some dangerous front runners. I thought they did a good job,” said Scales of his team’s defensive effort. It was the Red that got on the board first as junior Doug Charton followed up on a Penn pass back to Haefner. As Haefner, unable to pick up the ball, attempted to clear it, Charton redirected it into the back of the net at 34:22 to take the lead. Continuing to pressure the Quaker defense, Cornell almost brought its score to two as junior Ian Pilarski found freshman Pape Seye with less than five minutes remaining. Pape took the ball one-on-one, but Haefner made a great deflection ending Cornell’s run. The second half saw an even battle for the first twenty minutes, but at 65:25, Penn was able to capitalize on a throw-in which went past two Red defenders, to sophomore Joshua Duyan who found classmate Joe Klein. Klein was able to turn and fire a shot to the far post tying the score. The equalizer seemed to give new life to the Red, as it increased its offensive attacks. With 22 minutes left, Pilarski set up senior Scott Benowicz inside the box. Benowicz then advanced the ball before being taken out by a Penn defender setting up Hoban for a penalty kick. Hoban took a picture perfect shot, sending the ball to the left corner. But once again, Haefner showed phenomenal skill, and stepped in and knocked the ball just outside the post. Over the next four minutes, Haefner stopped three Cornell scoring opportunities sending the game into extra minutes. After a scoreless first overtime period, Quaker sophomore Stephen Kroculick sent the winner past Allan to the left corner of the net with five minutes remaining in the second overtime. “At the end of the day, it was a good college soccer game. Both teams had chances, they hit the post, we had a couple of breakaways, their goalkeeper saved a penalty [kick]. With those breaks, it could go either way. Unfortunately they got the goal to finish it off,” finished Scales. The Red will continue its Ivy schedule hosting Yale next Saturday at 7 p.m. on Berman Field.Archived article by Kristen Haunss
Spotlight on: Students' Cell Phone Woes

By wpengine September 30, 2002

For thousands of Cornell students and Ithaca residents wireless phone usage in the area has become more of a burden than a convenience. Cellular users frequently report problems including busy signals, “dropped calls,” blocked calls and error messages. “I haven’t been able to receive an incoming call in 48 hours,” said Robin Fisher ’04, a Verizon Wireless customer. Many students experience problems making and receiving phone calls after 9 p.m., when many service providers offer unlimited minutes, making it the time when the volume of people calling out is at its peak. Robert Pini, a Sprint PCS public relations manager for upstate New York, explained that many wireless companies have structured their programs to allow for unlimited calling after 9 p.m. since this is considered an off-peak time for many. “It’s actually a peak time for students though,” he said. “You’re in a location where there are many people from out of state so there’s a lot of calls being made during that time.” The nighttime peak is not the only time students are having problems with cellular service on and around campus. Many report difficulties around the clock. “At any given time I’ll dial a number and get an error message,” said Jared Needle ’04, an AT&T Wireless customer. Such notifications include “your call cannot be completed as dialed,” and “the system is currently busy, please try again later.” According to the AT&T Wireless brochures that can be found at all dealerships, the Regional Advantage plan for New York and New Jersey covers all of New York, including Ithaca, with full benefits. Features promised include caller identification, text messaging, and voice mail notification. Many students at Cornell do not receive all of these perks, for which they pay $30 or more per month. “My service is very spotty. Whenever I’m on a call in my room I hear the voices fade in and out. It’s like I have to find the right spot in my room and not move or else I lose the signal,” said Josh Teitelbaum ’05, a Verizon Wireless customer. Some have speculated that local service providers, including Verizon WIreless, Sprint PCS, Cingular and AT&T Wireless, are slow to respond to the rapid increase in cellular usage in the area. Sprint PCS recently invested $1.6 million to provide cellular service in the Ithaca area. According to Pini, “there has been explosive growth in the area, and we intend to provide seamless PCS service to students, faculty and staff of the university.” Pini admitted that local coverage gaps are often at the root of service problems. “We need to establish full coverage over the campus, but this can only be achieved by working with the University.” Currently, Verizon Wireless is the only company to have an agreement with Cornell to place their equipment directly on University facilities. Despite this, their cellular customers still report some service problems. Jason Rhoades, director of CIT operations support deals frequently with Verizon wireless concerning coverage expansion. He explained that due to the topography of Ithaca, some parts of campus receive significantly worse reception. AT&T Wireless has similar problems with coverage in the Ithaca area. They are not equipped for high customer demand, as the closest AT&T-owned store is in Johnson City, just west of Binghamton. Best Buy in the Pyramid Mall sells AT&T Wireless phone plans and accessories, but the staff at the electronics superstore is “not at all knowledgeable,” according to an AT&T sales representative. The employee acknowledged that “they’re just there to sell you service.” It is problematic that there are no AT&T Wireless stores nearby, because Anika, a customer service representative, admitted that “some customers are not receiving voice mail” despite paying for the service. Students with this and other technical difficulties must call a nation-wide customer service phone number for assistance. Carlos, another customer service representative for AT&T Wireless, said that the company has no immediate plans of extending their service in this area. “We have roaming agreements with different carriers,” he said. He explained AT&T has given its wireless customers over to other companies in more rural parts of the country. Tompkins County and the greater Finger Lakes region of New York have been relegated to Verizon Wireless. This means that “you’re in the hands of whatever carrier is there” and AT&T Wireless has no way to monitor the quality of service. Henry Doney, associate vice-president of facilities services at Cornell explained that the University is not very enthusiastic about commercializing the campus. Currently Verizon Wireless has their equipment on Barton Hall. Their antennae are well concealed, a major consideration for the administration. “We were concerned about how it would look,” said Doney. Wireless providers have repeatedly requested to place their equipment on University buildings such as the central heating plant, near the School of Veterniary Medicine but the administration is hesitant. “We have our own equipment on these buildings and we aren’t thrilled to let a commercial company put their own stuff up just to make a buck,” said Doney. As companies and Cornell’s administration work to address these issues, cellular users will just have to stand by. According to Rhoades, “Verizon is currently in the process of making some upgrades to deal with expanded coverage and increased usage.” Sprint PCS is also optimistic. “We’re ready and willing and looking for alternative ways to escalate these issues to the appropriate levels so we can provide service,” said Pini.Archived article by Melissa Korn