Category Archives: Media

Review: Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)

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Eight years after the critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption in 2010, comes its long awaited sequel, Red Dead Redemption (2018). The previous game told the story of former gang member John Marston, but this time the lead role goes to another member, Arthur Morgan. In fact, the game is not a sequel at all despite the title. It is a prequel telling the story of the Van Der Linde Gang in its last years of vitality during the ending of the Old Frontier.

Rob Nelson, co-studio head of Rockstar North, says “There was a lot of history set up in the last about Marston’s former gang and the character of Dutch and what he was all about. And so that was something that we really thought about that we could explore and juxtapose this idea of this partially reformed outlaw in the last game to being an active, working outlaw living with a gang in the next gang.”

The premise of RDR2 (its shortened acronym) tells of Arthur, one of the most versatile gang members in the Van Der Linde Gang, with Dutch as leader and Arthur’s fatherly figure. While the wild country advances through civilization, the gang is forced to run around the states to survive after a failed robbery. But as the law becomes more formulated, the gang also slowly deteriorates from the inside. Arthur must decide from then whether to continue with Dutch’s futile attempts to create a “savage utopia’ for themselves or to think for himself and others.

This game has long since its release become my favorite video game of all time. My favorite aspect is the hidden dialogues you can find around the camps in each chapter. It gives more immersion into the story involving the characters’ current situation, relationships with others, and backstories. The game’s open world itself is based on the sandbox concept. Meaning whatever choices in play-ability in you make, there are my changes integrated into the story-line and sometimes the games’ side content. Specifically, the “honor” system is the main component that drives the storytelling changes. Arthur can be a man who is more caring towards his friends, townsfolk, and passersby or a vengeful criminal who cares only for his own ambitions. Personally, the high honor route would seem fitting as it ties to the game’s theme of redemption.

Because of the game’s historical attributes and impactful storytelling, it would be a thrill for any gamer to enjoy.

References:

Romano, Nick. (2018) October 22. Entertainment Weekly. https://ew.com/gaming/2018/10/22/red-dead-redemption-2-prestige-video-games/

An Insight into Software Engineering

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Cadarius Williams is a senior at Texas A & M University-Texarkana who aspires to be a Software Engineer. Beforehand, he will study to gain interview experience and build connections for his career in computer science. The experiences for him at the University are content because the campus holds decent infrastructure along with more connection between the faculty and students than some universities. As Cadarius says, “You are not just a number, you are a name.”

Software Engineering involves building functional operating systems for technical devices such as laptops and cellphones. The evolution of this occupation has come a long way. The ideas of this profession started with the invention of massively scaled computers. After a long measure of time,designs expanded into advanced systems now accessible as small handheld devices. Furthermore, the progression of time has allowed ideas that were limited in the past to advance with extensive inspection and development of application frameworks.

In further discussion, technology such as robotics and Artificial Intelligence must be examined in simulation before further progress. Without the human effort or observation of technology such as A.I., the newest systems will not perform correctly. Because of Williams’ determination to be a software engineer, advanced technology is further acclaimed. It is astonishing that more students like him will manage applications in addition to creating them in the future.

1st Gen M1 MacBook Air @ Student Prices

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The release of the gen 1 MacBook Air 2020 with the M1 chip was a phenomenal release and had even better sales reports. The installation of the M1 chip instead of the Intel core processor made this the first line of silicon MacBooks that were made all in house. This chip has cut down on overall processing time in every Mac and even made the MacBook Air a fanless design. With this new fanless design the laptop is lighter and does not overheat. Along with the chip upgrade, the microphone has been upgraded with background noise cancellation and the FaceTime camera got a better light tone update. The programmer made our day with the switch back to scissor switch keyboards from their predecessors, the hated, butterfly switch keyboard. On top of that, the trackpad is a force touch and is 1.5 inches bigger than the other leading laptop brand. 

With the power the M1 chip gives to the new MacBook, we now have almost all the power the MacBook Pro has, which is amazing. This model has an 8-core CPU which is the fastest in any laptop and makes 8k video editing 3.5x faster than the previous model. With this CPU, graphics for video editing or gaming is 5x faster than the last MacBook Air model. Now we get 6 more hours free of charge on the new 18-hour battery life and we get the powerful features of macOS Big Sur. This also includes new privacy updates, new design aesthetic, and extraordinary app updates like the new connectivity of iPad and iPhone apps on MacBook. 

Now with all this power, you would think there would be more new functions that everyone will use, right? You are right, there are new functions for everyone like the instant wake, unified memory, and a 2560 by 1600 retina display with a 25% more color gamut. We also were given true tone technology, meaning the notebook automatically adjusts the white point to the color temperature of your environment. In addition to that we have an HD camera for sharper images that shows more details with shadows and highlights, and that includes a three-microphone array that hones in on your voice and cancels out background noise. The most popular feature is the new touch id. You can unlock your Mac, use Apple Pay, open password protected websites and documents and make purchases on the Apple TV app with your finger. As an extra bonus, apple is giving everyone who buys a new MacBook one year free of Apple TV, so this deal just keeps getting better no matter who purchases this. 

Although a few things we miss is all the connectivity we had with USB ports, SD card ports, Apple has gotten rid of those and made dongles to replace them with. So now we have the option of 2 or 4 USB-C ports with purchase of a dongle. Not an optimal solution. It is anywhere from $10-50 for a dongle depending on what connectivity you need, but you can get these anywhere from the Apple store with your MacBook purchase or a campus bookstore. 

Honestly, I can look past that for everything else this laptop has given me. With education pricing you only pay $899 for the best laptop in the game. This is all a big step in the right direction, and I am very excited to be a part of the wave of new technology my laptop forged the way for.

More Than Just Books

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This is the time of the year when everyone is looking for something special for a family member or a friend. How about trying Books-A-Million? They sell lots of books, but did you know they offer a variety of other things. They have an enormous number of gifts; coffee mugs, games, inspirational items, toys, candles, clothing wear, collectible items, magazines, comic books, and of course lots of books. There is an array of different assortments you are sure to find for that special someone. If you cannot find anything in the store, try checking out their website.

If you do not know what to get, they offer gift cards as well. If you have someone in your life that enjoys reading books, perhaps you could get them a membership card that offers 10% off anything they buy in the store. Get 40% off of Hardback Bestsellers and 20% off of featured items too.

There is a coffee shop within the store called Joe Muggs Coffee. During the holiday season, they are offering several specialty coffees. If you or someone you know loves playing games get together at Book-A-Million for an enjoyable time playing with friends and make new friends. Some customers are already gathering to play the game Magic of the Gathering. If playing games is not your style, you can pick up a book and read it as you decide rather you want to purchase that book while enjoying a cup of coffee. You can use your gift cards and membership card when purchasing a drink or snack as well as using them on their website.

Looking to get a little extra cash for the holiday, Books-A-Million offers buyback books at their store. You can bring up to fifty books at a time of gently used books for cash during certain times. After the new year, they will be buying used DVDs and blue rays too. “If you need any help with buying back books just ask for me the ‘book broker’ and I will get you set up for cashback” a staff member said.  Some books they cannot take are dictionaries, bibles, textbooks, and dated books.

Need to study or have a group or club? Books-A-Million loves to have groups come into their store to gather. “Study groups are usually our regular customers, especially Nursing Majors. Some of our regular customers bring in their own mugs for an added discount.” Tiffany, who works at Joe Muggs Coffee said. Wi-Fi is available for students who need a different environment for studying or writing a paper for class.

Come check out Books-A-Million for that special someone or for yourself. You will find something for everyone on your list. Or maybe just come by and check out what all this store has to offer. You will be surprised by the many things they have in their store.

Membership fee:  $25.00 with any purchase.

Gift Cards:  Starting at $5.00 up to $500.00

Hours of Operation: Mon.-Thurs. 8am-10pm; Fri. – Sat. 8am-12am; Sun. 9am-9pm

Buy Back Book Hours:  Sunday-Thursday 12:00 pm- 6:00 pm.

A New Era Is Coming

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Dua Lipa may be, if not, one of the world’s biggest pop stars out right now. Just recently, Dua Lipa has released her brand new hit single, “Don’t Start Now” on Halloween of this year. Ever since Lipa has released this worldwide smash hit, she has been traveling the world everywhere! 

Just within a short span of two-weeks, Lupa has performed Don’t Start Now at the: MTV EMA’s in Spain, ARIA Awards in Australia, AMA’s in Los Angeles, MNet Asian Music Awards in Japan, Hamilton Island Australia, Mumbai India, and the Graham Norton show are just a few to name at the moment.

Dua Lipa is also set to release a brand new album titled, “Future Nostalgia” in 2020. The brand new album will include genres of disco and pop while also incorporating a new version of Dua Lipa as a pop star. Lipa wants to give her fans something as she called it, “Futuristic & Fresh”. She wants to give them something they have never seen or heard before. In other words, she wants to have it where her fans can just get up and dance while also feeling the lyrics at the same time. 

Lipa performing Don’t Start now at the EMA’s

In the meantime, Dua has announced that she will be going on tour in Europe mid 2020. The new tour will showcase her brand new album that she is expected to released in 2020.

If you have not checked out “Don’t Start Now” yet, check out the brand new worldwide sensation or a.k.a., the best song out right now below.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oygrmJFKYZY

Streaming the Best of 2019!

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Just recently, Spotify announced many awesome things to its users, to notify them about their top artists, their top track of the year, and their artist of the decade for the year of 2019. Spotify also announced users, top 5 songs of the year, top 5 artists of the year, and even made a presentation that was customized to user’s app experience.

 Spotify is a digital music, podcast, and video streaming service that gives its users access to millions of songs and other content from artists all over the world. It was really interesting to see users from all over the world excited to share what their top music choices were. Users were tagging their favorite artists all over social media and some of the artists were even posting their fans online! 

Spotify announcing it’s users their 2019 wrapped

Spotify announced content like this every year for its users, but with new technologies and interfaces, they way it’s presented gets better and better.

Bougie on a Budget

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Do you like money? Personally, I love money. Like many of my student peers, what money I do have goes towards boring necessities; bills, gas, dog food, human food, etc. While we’re being responsible poor young adults, we forget to treat ourselves…so let’s look at a few ways we can pamper ourselves without spending our life’s savings.

Now, being rich makes things a little easier in the pampering department and us poor folk may have to work a little harder– but it just makes the results that much more satisfying. (I tell myself it’s more satisfying to make it seem like a choice…) The saying: “look good, feel good” has some truth to it, especially to the younger generation that is typically obsessed with self-image. So, if you have your nails done your chances of feeling good are much higher. However, are we really going to use two weeks’ worth of grocery money to get our nails done? No, because we’re poor independent college students who don’t need no nail tech.

  For this, Walmart is our best friend; there are options ranging from $2 to $25 that give you the freedom to do your own nails. Look up YouTube tutorials on the type of nails you want and then…do it yourself. Taking the time to learn a new skill and then executing it, in this case nail care, can be a frustrating emotional roller coaster but the more time and effort put into it will bring you that much more satisfaction in the end when you know you did something yourself. 

So now that our nails are well taken care of we can move on to eyelashes. Eyelash extensions have been taking over the planet, and what’s not to love about eyelash extensions? The price. Extensions can start around $100 and go up from there with a monthly fill of about $50 or more. So how are we getting long luscious lashes on a budget? We’re growing them ourselves! We’ll take a few household ingredients– castor oil, coconut oil, and a Q tip- and put it on every night before bed which produces long healthy lashes for under $10. The results aren’t as instantaneous as eyelash extensions, it will take a few months to see results, but that’s the price we pay for not paying more money up front.  

Our nails are done, our lashes are long, and we are feeling great! You don’t need to be rich to feel and look like a million bucks. 

3 Books Hit the Big Screen

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Attention, book lovers! If you enjoy reading Stephen King, Louisa May Alcott, and T.S. Eliot then you have a treat in store just in time for the holidays. Hollywood is releasing three new movies this fall based on books by these authors.

Stephen King lovers are sure to enjoy this new released movie adapted from Doctor Sleep.

Warner Bros. is releasing the movie November 8th. A sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleep takes place years later with Danny Torrance now an adult. He meets a young girl with similar powers to his. Torrance has to protect this young girl from an evil tribe who is trying to use her powers to make them stronger. This film will have the same type of atmosphere as the original movie The Shining. A thrilling dark fantasy for horror lovers of Stephen King.

T.S. Eliot fans are in for a treat as the Broadway show Cats is being released by Universal Pictures on December 20th.

The movie is an adaptation of the musical played on Broadway. Andrew Lloyd Webber first introduced fans to Cats in 1982. Webber adapted his musical based on Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, a collection of poems that centers around a tribe of cats called Jellicles.

The film centers on which cat will be chosen to ascend to the “Heaviside Layer’ to begin a new life. Fans of Cats are going to enjoy this adaptation as Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, and Taylor Swift star. Be sure to listen for a new song titled Beautiful Ghost written by Taylor and Webber, sung by Francesca Hayward, in her first feature-length film role.

Sony Pictures is adapting yet another version of a film based on the novel written by Louisa May Alcott, Little Women.

This film will be the eighth adaptation of the novel’s two volume set written in 1868-69. The plot stays the same as it shows the lives of four sisters who find their way as they enter womanhood. The March sisters have been classic characters book lovers and movie-goers have fallen in love with.

The screenplay is written by Sarah Polley (Away From Her) and Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), who also directs. Gerwig’s adaptation will capture the poignancy and wit of the novel. The film stars Emma Watson (Harry Potter), Saoirse Ronan (Mary Queen of Scots), and Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia 1&2).

Cowboys Hit a Speed Bump in NOLA

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Football season is here and every team is fighting for one thing, to be the best. Battling heat through constant practices everyday can be tough, but that is what makes players perform on the highest levels. At first, the Dallas Cowboys were running over teams like nothing I have ever seen. 

The Cowboys have been a big name in football not only in the United States but also worldwide. Top name players such as Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin turned the franchise into something special by winning three Super Bowls together. That winning mentality has seemingly carried all the way to the current season. The team is focusing and working together, which definitely is paying off.

Their perfect form started slowing against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday the 22nd. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was on fire in the first two games but was trying to find his feet in this one. The Dolphins definitely came to play. As the team itself reported, Dak said that greed led to a slow first half. “One of those heat checks or whatever you call it, just trying to do too much in the first half.” The team finally kicked it in after halftime and ended up winning the game thirty-one to six.

On Sunday, September 29th, the Cowboys headed to New Orleans to face a very good Saints team. As I watched the game, I was very stressed out, but excited because of the constant battle on the field. The game kept going back and forth all night, but it ended up being the Saints that came out with the win. After the game, the quarterback Dak Prescott said that the outcome will help them come back better.

The Cowboys have gotten a lot of attention lately with the new contract made with Ezekiel Elliott. Troy Aikman, the former Cowboys quarterback, recently weighed in on the deal made with Elliott and what he thinks about the current team. Aikman said he thought the deal the Cowboys made with Zeke Elliott shows how much trust they have in him as a player to get the job done. Anyone that knows Jerry Jones knows that he is aiming for another Super Bowl title. “There is a great deal of pressure, there always is, but the expectation right now for this team is as high as I’ve seen in quite some time,” Aikman told the Dallas Morning News. “Can they meet those expectations and make it all the way to the Super Bowl? Time will tell.”

ESPN has ranked the Cowboys as one of the best in the league this year. According to Bill Barnwell of ESPN, the Cowboys should make an incredible shift to the top in the rankings by his examination of skill position groups.

 

Bingeworthy October Netflix Shows

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Insatiable 

Insatiable follows the story of Patty Bladell, played by Debby Ryan, as she gets revenge on those who mocked her for being overweight. After a violent altercation with a homeless man, Patty spends her summer vacation in the hospital consuming a liquid diet. After Patty recovers, and now thin as a result of her hospital day, she meets lawyer and disgraced pageant coach Bob Armstrong. Bob takes Patty under his wing and introduces her to the world of pageants. 

What follows is a season full of revenge, deceit, and betrayal by every single character on the show. Although Patty more often than not is a catalyst and throws fuel on whatever fire is happening, her neighbors, classmates, and friends need no help to be conniving when their sites on set on a goal. 

Each episode of Insatiable features revenge that pushes that bar just a bit further than the last, all culminating in a very surprising ending. For all the drama that fills each episodes approximately 40 minute runtime, the show’s writers seem “in on the joke.” Insatiable effortlessly alternates between what sometimes feels like overdramatic plotlines and comedic scenes in a way that leaves the viewer wanting more after the credits roll. After the 12th episode and season finale is rolling credits, fans won’t have to wait long for a new season. Netflix is premiering season 2 of Insatiable next week on October 11. 

Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders is a five season British crime drama originally released in 2013. Set in Britain post World War I, the show follows Tommy Shelby in his efforts to raise his family’s status from two-bit criminals to a feared, highly successful criminal enterprise. 

Fans of Boardwalk Empire will feel right at home with Peaky Blinders. The show features a mix of action, character developments, cliff-hangers, and intrigue. It’s also important to note that the show is extremely graphic in both language and violence, with portrayals of sexual assault, along with copious drug use. Some viewers should stay away. 

Netflix users won’t have to wait long to catch the newest season of Peaky Blinders, the show releases on platform this week on Friday, October 4th. 

You can watch the season five trailer for the show below: