the oredigger issue 24 - april 25, 2011
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8/7/2019 The Oredigger Issue 24 - April 25, 2011
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T H E O R E D I G G E RVolume 91, Issue 24 April 25, 2011
The student voice of the Colorado School of Mines
Hancock named
as MIPERs new
director
Features 7
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
Opinion 11
Lifestyle 5
News 3
Satire 12
Reviewing the
incident at
Fukushia
Tips for
eggcellent
Easter eggs
Morals to your
story: Facebook,
friends & sexting
Flood the world
with peanut
butter.
Dr. Dan Miracle described a
glass as a material with no sym-
metry, A material that not only has
no microstructure, it doesnt even
have an atomic structure. These
amorphous materials are actually
made out of metals and are known
as bulk metallic glasses (BMGs)because they can be produced in
large quantities. BMGs are incred-
ibly versatile and uses for them in-
clude anti-theft devices, cell phone
c a s e s a n d
even p rod-
ucts allowing
the process-
ing of metals
as if they were
plastics.
B M G s
hardness is
t w i ce t h e i r
metallic alloy
counterparts.
For example,
with a BMG of
Cu-Zr and ametallic alloy
of Cu-Zr, the
BMG would
be twice as
h a r d a n d
more resis-
tant to corro-
sion. Miracle
e x p l a i n e d ,
Microstructure denesBMGs uses, efcienciesStephen Hejducek
Content Managerproperties come from structure.
This means that even though two
substances can have the same
material compositions, they can
have drastically different proper-
ties because their atoms are ar-
ranged differently. If the BMG has
an iron base constituent, it will be
magnetic. These materials have
such amazing magnetic abilities
that when used in transformers,they have a 99.3% efciency as
compared to the 97% efciency of
their metallic counterparts.
Continued on BMGson page 3
Amorphous solids lack any crystal structure.
COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
NREL shows off fuel cells and solar cells at the Earth Day celebration. More on page 8.
Few events have resonated within
the core of society recently like
the earthquake and tsunami that
hit the nation of Japan on March
11, 2011. While
the destruction
wrought by the
earthquake itself
and the tsunamihas been more
than substan-
tial, the nuclear
emergency at Fu-
kushima Daiichi
has been a ma-
jor event that will
likely remain in the
consciousness of
the world for quite
some time.
T h i s p a s t
week, the Mines
campus hosted
one of its own, Dr.
Jeffrey King of the
Nuclear Science
and Engineering
Program, to speakabout the history
and effects of this
cataclysm.
King empha-
sized the continu-
ing nature of the
event, It is going to be years before
we know many of these things for
certain.
The Fukushima site was the old-
est reactor in Japan, older than those
at Three Mile Island. The reactors
themselves are diverse in design
but are all boiling water reactors,
or as King said, Just a fancy way
to heat water. They all consist of a
central reactor
filled with wa-
ter. Submerged
in the water, are
bundles of rodslled with fuel pel-
lets. The reactions
within the fuel pel-
lets heat the water,
which boils, and
the steam is used
to turn turbines to
actually generate
the electricity.
At the time of
the earthquake,
only three of the
six reactors at the
Fukushima Dai-
ichi site were on-
line. Although the
earthquake was
around ten times
stronger than whatthe reactors were
designed to han-
dle, most of the
reactors immedi-
ately shut down,
as they were pro-
grammed to do in such an event.
Continued on Fukushima on
page 4
Fukushima incidentdetails discussedJohn Bristow
Staff Writer
A typical design for a Boil-
ing Water Reactor shows
some of the design and
safety features.
COURTESY KATANA0182 AT EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG
$
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Oredigger Staff
Ryan Browne
Editor-in-Chief
Katie HuckfeldtManaging Editor
Robert GillBusiness Manager
Steven WooldridgeWebmaster
Barbara AndersonDesign Editor
Zach BoernerCopy Editor
Neelha MudigondaAsst. Design Editor
Ian LittmanAsst. Business Manager,
Web Content
Trevor CraneContent Manager
Deborah GoodContent Manager
Stephen HejducekContent Manager
Shira RichmanFaculty Advisor
Headlines from around the worldLocal News
Golden City Ofcials re-
ported a pipe bomb found in
a residential area last Sundaymorning. There were no injuries
or property damage and the
bomb was successfully deto-
nated by authorities.
The Mines Baseball team
defeated the CSU-Pueblo
ThunderWolves 5-4, last Satur-
day, in 10 innings.
Last Tuesday, a deal was
announced to purchase more
than 600 acres just west of the
Rocky Flats National Wildlife
Refuge and preserve it as open
space in exchange for Boulder
and Boulder County droppingtheir opposition to the Jeffer-
son Parkway toll highway. The
deal still must be approved by
elected ofcials.
Pitchers Balogh and Unkrich
brought the Mines Softball
team to two shutouts against
Chadron State last Saturday
afternoon.
Beginning May 1, AC Gold-
en Brewing Companys Colo-
rado Native Lager will be sold
in cans for the summer.
Just two weeks out from
the RMAC Championships in
Golden, the Mines track & eld
team competed at the Jack
Christiansen Invite. On May
8-10, Mines will host the 2011
RMAC Outdoor Track & Field
Championships.
Joshua Kleitsch, Staff Writer
Joshua Kleitsch, Staff Writer
Scotland, United Kingdom - Plutos atmosphereseems to be rapidly changing, which has puzzled as-
tronomers who have been studying it for some time.
Astronomers at the University St. Andrews in Scot-
land have been watching Pluto in its orbit for yearsand new telescope readings seem to indicate that
the atmosphere has expanded to roughly 20 times
its previous height. The astronomers have been un-
able to understand what caused this expansion. The
atmosphere should have shrunk instead, because the
dwarf planet is currently moving away from the Sun.
Daohugou, China -What is most likely the an-
cestor of modern spiders
has been discovered in
northeastern China. The an-
cient arachnid, a member
of the Nephila group of spi-
ders, is related to modernorb-weavers and was much
larger than modern spiders,
with a leg span of roughly
15 centimeters. Known as
Jurrasica Nephila, the spider
likely spun large permanent
webs that enabled it to catch
large insects and small birds.
Fribourg, Switzerland - Self-healingplastics may become more widely used,
and for a wider variety of purposes. A team
of scientists at the University of Fribourg in
Fribourg, Switzerland, have developed a
polymer that can heal itself when exposed
to ultraviolet light. Self-healing polymers
have been around for years, but have al-
ways been limited to a single healing pro-
cess because of their design. Now, this newtype of self-healing polymers can have vir-
tually unlimited healing cycles, because of a
new technology that involves metals within
the polymer chains. The polymer chains are
bound to metal plates in micro layers. When
the plastic is scratched and exposed to UV
light, the metal layers get hot and melt the
polymers in that location.
London, United Kingdom - Mosquitoesthat are unable to transmit the deadly malaria
virus have been successfully developed by re-
searchers, but difculties in making the new spe-
cies catch on has driven a group of scientists at
the Imperial College of London to work on devel-
oping genes that will allow them to spread in thewild. The new mosquitoes have been around for
many years, but until recently they were unable
to survive in the larger world population. And with
hundreds of billions of wild mosquitoes in the
world, even a million of these so-called disease-
proof mosquitoes would have no effect. With
these new genes, the mosquitoes will reproduce
more rapidly, hopefully causing the new species
to out-compete the wild species.
Unrest still persists in the
Middle East, as Syrian protest-ers continued to chant anti-regime slogans. Syrian securityforces red upon the crowds of
people, killing dozens and injur-
ing hundreds more. The protests,
which began over a month ago
and have killed 113, are rapidly
spreading across Syria.
Toyota Motor Corp. has an-nounced that it will not returnto full capacity until Novemberof this year, following the massive
destruction caused by the March
11 earthquake and resulting tsu-nami. Currently, Toyota manufac-
turing plants are at roughly 50%
capacity, and will remain there un-
til November 2011. Thousands of
small automotive parts manufac-
turers have been crippled since
the tsunami, and are not likely to
recover soon.
Gold continues to climb, as
nancial reports for the US
and other world econo-
mies push investors to
more stable assets.
Now at over $1500an ounce, goldhas been the safety
net of many inves-
tors for years, and
more so now thanever before. For
the past seven
days, the precious
metal has risen to
a new record lev-
els.Rebel forces
in Libya havetaken a building
in the center of the
key city of Misrata.
A government sniper team in the
building has been terrorizing resi-
dents and causing problems for
rebels for months now.
The US military has startedsending armed drones overLibya, in an attempt to prevent
further humanitarian catastro-
phes from occurring. The Preda-
tor drones are being deployed
because of their features allow-
ing operators to distinguish pro-
Gadha military vehicles from the
vehicles of civilians.Economists are struggling
to nd solid data to analyze thestrength of the current economy,
as jobless claims fell again for
this month. While current data
seem to point to a strengthening
economy, the data used are either
too uid or volatile to give hard
answers.
The Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers is claiming that
lower gas prices mean that peo-
ple will not buy as many hybridcars. Automakers are petitioningthe US government to review the
mileage requirements periodically,
to link it to gas prices. The current
average mileage for the US eet is
22.5 miles per gallon, while many
are pushing for the average to beraised to 62 miles per gallon by
2025.
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BMGs are vastly different from
any other metal because of their
micro-structure. A micro-structure
is what an objects surface looks
like at a distance of only a few
microns away from that surface.
When Miracle began working on
BMGs, he was surprised by thenumber of differences he found. I
learned that about 80% of what I
learned in graduate school was no
longer relevant, claimed Miracle.
The micro-structure of BMGs has
no structure that any crystallized
solid can relate too. Crystallized
solids include materials like metals
and have a uniform arrangement
of atoms.
BMGs do have some major
drawbacks. The ductility of BMGs
is a lot like silicate glasses, mean-
ing it can fracture. It is also very
difcult to actually make a BMG
because once the metals are melt-
ed down into a liquid state, they
must also be cooled fast enough
that no crystals are able to form.If crystals did begin to form, then
these BMGs would be nothing
more than metallic alloys.
Much of the molecular arrange-
ment of BMGs comes from the
atomic packing and arrangement
of atoms. The easiest way to vi-
sualize this scenario is to imagine
a cube with a lot of different-sized
marbles in it. If the BMG was made
of two metals, this cube would
have two different marble sizes
inside it. Because not all of the
marbles are the same size, there
would be differently sized gaps as
some marbles of the same size
would group together and other
groups of marbles would intermix
with those of the other size. The method by which the at-
oms are packed into the cube is
a subject of much debate in the
scientic community. This debate
arises from the question, What
is the most efcient way to pack
spheres into an area? Miracle has
developed a simple, static, and
understandable model to describe
the atomic packing capabilities
of BMGs. The greatest strength
of atomic simulations is that you
get the x, y, and z coordinates of
every atom in the structure... the
biggest deciency is that you get
the coordinates of every atom in
the structure, laughed Miracle.
Knowing the complete structure
of BMGs is far too much informa-tion to retrieve any amount of rela-
tive data. That is where Miracles
computational work is useful be-
cause he is able to simplify this
data.
Overall, BMGs have many
practical modern day uses, a
unique molecular structure and
offer a chance to explore in great
depth the mysteries of metals
without a atomic arrangement.
If you really want to revive the
world economy, youre going to
have to deal with high oil prices;
theres no way around that, said
Lutz Killian of the University of
Michigan in his April 22 lecture The
role of inventories and speculative
trading in the global market for
crude oil.
Killian began by offering a brief
background, explaining that dif-
ferent models for the global crude
market already exist, and that they
rest on two common perspectives.
The rst is that the price of oil is de-
termined by shocks to ow supply
of oil and ow demand and the sec-
ond is that oil is an asset, and price
shifts are based on speculations.
Killian and his
research chose
instead to bridge
the gap and to
take a healthy
mixture of these
two as they cre-
ated their own
model.
In order to
balance these
perspectives, Killians team de-
signed a model that provides a
structural model of the global mar-
ket that uses a forward-looking
speculation. It then allows the ad-
ditional study of storage markets,
in turn making it easier to solve the
problem of unquantiable expecta-
tions. Killian explains, In principle,
if you set up a structural model that
jointly determines the real price of
oil and the change in above ground
inventories, you should be able to
Structural modeling enlightens for crude oil
Deborah Good
Content Manager
identify the effects of expectation
shocks without ever having to pa-
rametrize what those expectations
are. That is, you can write a model
and tackle this problem without
the expectations, which we donthave.
Killian the analyzed the quanti-
ties of oil production, real activ-
ity, real oil prices, and inventories
based on different shock scenarios.
So now the question is, how do
you gure out which shock is which
and how do you gure out what
these shocks are doing to the real
price of oil, Kilian continued. To
identify shocks, he established sign
conventions for each scenario. In
a ow supply shock, change in oil
production and real activity should
be negative, while change in real
oil prices should be positive and in-
ventory change should be unclear.
In a ow demand
shock, change
in oil produc-
tion, real activity,
and real oil price
should all be
positive and in-
ventories should
be again unclear.
In speculative
demand shock, change in oil pro-
duction, real oil price, and inven-
tories should be positive, whereas
change in real activity should be
negative.
Though effective, these sign re-
strictions were not enough to cre-
ate a complete model and Killian
chose not to remain agnostic on
which model variations were most
accurate. He selected the fourteen
most admissible models and used
them to ultimately create a median
to nalize his model.
With his model constructed,
Killian could analyze data and offer
new hypotheses for both contro-
versial his-
torical eventsand contro-
versial recent
events. He
sug g es t ed
that the eco-
nomic events
of 1990 fol-
lowing Sad-
dam Husse-
ins invasion
of Kuwait
were caused by a combination of
factors made more confusing by
the fact that many were cancelling
each other out. Similarly, the price
increase after supply shock during
Micro-structure denes
BMGs uses, efciencies
the 1978-1979 Iranian revolution
could then be traced to the increase
in speculative demand shocks. He
also suggested that the collapse
of OPEC in
1986 wasc a u s e d
in part by
overlapping
shocks as
well.
After illus-
trating that
the model
adequate ly
aligned with
established
economic facts and even helped
explain economic mysteries, he ap-
plied it to more recent events, such
as the oil price increase between
2003 and 2008. He found no evi-
dence that the increase was caused
by oil trader speculation, OPEC, or
any variation of peak oil, leaving
only one option according to Killian.
Whats left is quite simply that we
were surprised by how much theworld economy was booming dur-
ing this period. This is possible
because Between 03 and 08,
[experts] systematically underesti-
mated economic growth month
after month they got it wrong.
Based on the ndings from his
research, Killian concluded his talk
by offering three key policy implica-
tions. First, the increase in action
of traders is irrelevant to oil prices.
Second, increased domestic oil
production is essentially irrelevant
to the global pricepoint. And third,
economic recovery will require
raised oil prices.
The world oil output is shown from 1960.
He found no evidencethat the price increase
was caused by oil trader
speculation, OPEC, or any
variation of peak oil,
Lutz Killian discusses trading oil and the world market
With his model constructed,
Killian could analyze data
and oer new hypotheses for
both controversial histori-
cal events and controversial
recent events.
COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
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The idea that the reduction of
iron in the environment is a micro-
bial process involving a very special
set of bacteria is a relatively new
revelation.
To help us under-
stand a little more of
this highly complicat-
ed and convoluted
process, Dr. Patricia
J. S. Colberg of the
University of Wyo-
ming visited Mines
last week to discuss
the bacterial reduc-
tion process. My talk
may be like a Gord-
ian knot because some think these
problems are intractable problems.I dont think this is intractable.
Colberg went on to explain that
the process of bacterial reduction
of iron can be understood by ex-
amining the surface of the bacteria,
where the electron transfer actually
takes place.
The process involves only a few
proteins, known as cytochromes,
that exchange the electrons within
iron. Because bacteria are such
How do bacteria
breathe iron?complicated organisms, Colberg
used many different methods to
study the reactions. With tech-niques such as cyclic voltammetry,
her assistants were able to uncover
the underlying process at work, ar-
riving at the understanding of what
these cytochromes were actually
doing.
With this new and
deeper understand-
ing of the iron reduc-
tion process, Colberg
believes that advanc-
es can be made in
many elds of study,
such as microbial fuel
cells. Because of the
electron transfer on
the surface of metals
by cytochromes, electricity can be
generated and fuel cells can nowbe made more viable. Other real-
world applications of this under-
standing include biogeochemical
cycling and remediation of organic
contaminants in soils and water.
Whats happening under the
surface, so to speak, is what
makes it all possible. Tiny organ-
isms moving electrons from one
place to another cause an electri-
cal potential.
Joshua Kleitsch
Staff Writer
When a reactor shuts down, it
does not entirely stop the reactions
within the fuel pellets. The pellets are
made up of radioactive materials,
which continue to decay as they nor-
mally would. Therefore, heat is still
being produced in the reactor. There
are emergency diesel generators to
help keep the reactor cool, which allproperly started.
When the tsunami hit the plant, it
caused the most damage. The elec-
tric disconnects, circuit breakers and
fuses were ooded, breaking the
connection between the plant and
the electrical grid; the spent fuel was
either contaminated or taken out to
sea; and the diesel generators were
damaged or swept away. Losing the
generators and connection to the
grid was important because, as King
noted, You need power to keep
things cool.
All three affected reactors had
emergency passive cooldown meth-
ods. However, those emergency
methods were not intended to work
without other, electrically-poweredbackup systems. Reactor one had
a simple condenser chamber, while
reactors two and three each had a
toroidal loop, which served the same
purpose. Both systems were de-
signed to achieve the same result,
that is, decrease the pressure in the
reactor chamber by condensing the
steam back into water and putting it
back into the reactor.
If the water is not able to remove
enough of the heat produced in the
reactor, then the heat stays in the
pellets, which can result in the pel-
lets melting, called a core meltdown.
All of the rods are clad in a zirconi-
um-based solid solution, which is
invisible to neutrons and designed
to keep the radioactive pellets frominteracting with the water. We know
that we exposed at least two-thirds
of the core because the cladding
failed, stated King.
At this time, the parties involved
were faced with a tough decision,
with the water boiling and many of
the materials within the reactor boil-
ing as well, the pressure inside was
mounting. Were the reactor to ex-
plode, all of the radioactive particles
would escape quickly and create a
true national emergency. On the oth-
er hand, if they vented the reactor,
some radioactive material would es-cape to the environment. Better to
release some than wait and release
everything, said King.
The process of venting the re-
actors did not go as smoothly as
hoped, due to the high level of ex-
posure of the core. The zirconium-
based cladding reacted with the
steam to produce zirconium diox-
ide and hydrogen. When this was
vented, it created an explosion that
some media sources took to be the
explosion of the reactor itself. The
main effect of this explosion was to
blow off the service roof of the build-
ing - the containment system was
not ruptured.
This process happened for re-
actors one and three. However, atreactor two it is speculated that,
instead of the top blowing off, the
torus may have had a slight break,
allowing steam, carrying radioactive
contaminants, to escape into the en-
vironment.
Due to the aid of many organiza-
tions, the site was able to be treated
after a few days. The rst goal of all
involved was to cool down the reac-
tors. Where media organizations cit-
ed the use of sea water as a rushed
reaction of the cleanup crew, ac-
cording to King, the idea of using sea
water was in the plans if pure water
could not be readily used. Finally, off-
site power was restored and the re-
actors could resume normal cooling.
Unfortunately, revealed King, thisis not where the story ends.
Because of maintenance, the
fuel for reactor four was in a spent
fuel pool. Normally the fuel rods are
stored in neutron-absorbing borated
water and in such an orientation that
they cannot maintain chain reac-
tions. However, the earthquake may
have changed the orientation of the
fuel rods, increasing the rate of reac-
tions. This caused the water in the
pool to boil off, melting the cladding
on the rods. Because the pool did
not have as much of a containment
vessel as the reactor, it caused manyof the same problems as the rst
three facilities.
The fuel rods were damaged at
sites one through four while the main
containment remained intact at all
sites except for two. Some fuel from
reactor two leaked into the ocean,
but the contamination was treated
with colloidal silicon. As for the state
of the other reactors around the
country, most are not affected and
are in the process of going back
online. The plants closest to the epi-
center - Fukushima Daini, Onagawa,
and Takai - are still in cold shutdown
and there will be a delay until they are
producing power again.
At Fukushima Daiichi, it is pos-
sible that reactors ve and six will goback online as they have a different
reactor design and are much newer;
reactors one through four, though,
will be decommissioned.
With the reactors properly cooled
and the immediate danger averted,
ofcials have been able to react to
the environmental effects. The radio-
active material is being extensively
monitored to ensure that it does not
contaminate the food or water sup-
ply. Compared to Chernobyl, sig-
nicantly more precautions are being
taken, We are not going to see [ef-
fects on the scale of Chernobyl] at
Fukushima, asserted King. In the
long run, there are plans to repair
the containment at reactor two and
cover the reactors with ltered fabriccovers, instead of cement. When
you cover everything in cement, it is
hard to clean it up later, said King.
Unlike Chernobyl, Fukushima
has been carefully dealt with. For
instance, where more than half of
a million people were subjected to
dangerous levels of radiation for
Chernobyl, less than 30 workers
have received that amount in Japan.
From Kings perspective, this shows
that the workers were not in panic
mode and that the entire operation
was not rushed. Fukushima has
released only1/10th of the
amount of ra-
dioactive ma-
terial that was
released by the
Chernobyl inci-
dent. A lot of
nearby towns
are back to or
are close to
background
radiation, said
King. In addi-
tion, few effects
have been
seen here in the
United Sates.
Some radioac-
tive iodine hasbeen found
in California
milk. It is worth
emphasiz ing
that someone
would have to
drink several
thousand gal-
lons of milk to
get the same
radiation as a
normal plane
ight.
U n f o r t u -
nately, due to
the event, the
South Texas
Project, an ex-
pansion of anuclear plant
in the US, has
been delayed.
The Tokyo
Electric Pow-
er Company
Fukushima incident details discussed(TEPC), owner of the Fukushima
Daiichi plant, had been looking into
buying a 10% ownership stake in the
project. Since the TEPC has been
dealing with the Fukushima incident,
and the chance of getting federal
loans has decreased, the deal has
been called uncertain by analysts.
The Fukushima Daiichi power plant shows
the six reactors that are part of the complex.
Colberg believes
that advances can
be made in many
elds of study,
such as microbial
fuel cells.
COURTESY NATIONAL LAND IMAGE INFORMATION (COLOR ARIAL PHOTOGRAPHS), MINIS-
TRY OF LAND INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND TOURISM
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Scotch ale, also known as wee
heavy ale, was rst brewed in Ed-
inburgh during the 18th century. A variation of English-style pale
ale, scotch ale is typically boiled
for longer in order to caramelize
some of the malt sugars in the
wert. Scotch ales are typically
made with less hops than other
pale ales, and often have higher
alcohol content. In a process
similar to scotch whisky, some
breweries add peat-smoked malt
to their beer for a special earthy,
smokey avor.
Oskar Blues Brewery
in Lyons, Colorado, has
a reputation for making
extreme versions of es-
tablished beer styles, and
Old Chub Scotch Ale is
no exception. Caramel-
ization lends Old Chub
a dark brown-red color,
which, along with its layer
of thick, creamy foam,
portend the thick and
rich avor lurking within.
An earthy, cereal smell
makes itself noticed rst,
then a savory scent of
soy sauce in the middle,
nishing with spicy hops
and a tinge of alcohol.
Oskar Blues chose to
smoke some of their malt
with beechwood rather
than add peat-smoked
malt. Instead of lending
a smoky avor as one
might expect, this com-
bines with the sweet
caramel malt sugars to
Beer ReviewOskar Blues Old Scotch AleBryant Pocock
Staff Writer
create a very dominant sweet/sa-
vory avor similar to teriyaki sauce
or rye bread. Mouthfeel is thick
and creamy, almost syrupy, like
some imperial stouts. Bitterness
is light but noticeable, with faintspicy hop avors similar to black
pepper. While most scotch ales
weigh in at around 6 or 7% alco-
hol, Old Chub packs a hearty 8%,
although with all the other strong
avors ghting for attention the al-
cohol is relatively subtle.
Old Chub is denitely not an
every day session beer, and it will
not pair well with most foods ex-
cept maybe teriyaki or other dishes
Old Chub Scotch Ale is too extreme for many beer drinkers.
BRYANT POCOCK / OREDIGGER
with lots of savory umami avor
like miso soup or pad thai. Nev-
ertheless, Old Chub is worth a try,
even for those with an aversion to
dark beer or aluminum cans. The
judges of the World Beer Cham-pionship agree, having awarded
Old Chub a gold medal twice. In
the eyes of this slightly less-qual-
ied beer judge, Old Chub earns
a B- grade, mostly because it is
too extreme for many beer drink-
ers and most drinking occasions.
Fans of scotch ale might also be
interested in Orkneys Skullsplitter,
which is lighter in avor than Old
Chub, but no lighter in alcohol.
Fingers of the Sun
self-titled: If the 1960s
had never ended, there
might be more bands
that sound like Fingers
of the Sun. Expanding
from their debut EP, the
self-titled Fingers of the
Sun LP features sunny
instruments and lyrics
that would t well in the
Haight-Ashbury neigh-
borhood of years gone
by. Top track: Cup of
Tea
Music Review: Localrecord round-upTim Weilert
Something Like Sound Blogger
I usually get about 1 or 2 music submissions every week. Given my
lack of free time I havent had a chance to do detailed reviews on everyrecord that passes my ears. In an attempt to catch up on reviews, heres
another multi-album music feature.
Woodsman Rare
Forms:A layered, ex-
pansive, experimental
record with enough
structure to avoid self-
aggrandizing guitar
noodling. As the 5th re-
lease from Woodsman
in 2 years, it reects the
groups progress thus
far and builds anticipa-
tion for the next record.
Top track: Serfer
A. Tom Collins OHNO!: Dirty jazz meets
piano meets a whiskey-
soaked delivery from a
former member of the
now-defunct band Ma-
chine Gun Blues. The
record swings from track
to track, slowing down on
the intro to Be My Baby,
picking up again on the
laughter-driven Ants.
Top track: Oh No!
COURTESY WOODSMAN
COURTESY A. TOM COLLINS
COURTESY FINGERS OF THE SUN
Sometimes even the most
avid movie-goer can become
frustrated with the latest releases
and turn to older lms for enter-
tainment. And although there are
many worthy classics, a lesser
known, yet equally admirable op-
tion is The Ox-Bow Incident.This 1943 lm follows the tragic
actions of a lynch mob in 1885
Nevada to expose the irrationality
of the mob mentality.
As the movie opens, cowboys
Gil Carter (Henry Fonda) and Art
Croft (Henry Morgan) ride into a
small western town agitated by
recent cattle rustling in the area.
Shortly after their arrival, news
comes that beloved cattle rancher
Larry Kincaid has been murdered
and some of his cattle have been
stolen. The citizens of the town
immediately begin forming a lynch
mob, although they refer to it as a
posse, to nd the murderers and
inict justice.
Local business owner Ar-thur Davies (Harry Davenport) is
bothered by their response and
attempts to delay the mob orga-
nizers by looking for the sheriff
and insisting some manner of due
process be followed. Davies has
trouble garnering support as the
sheriff is still at Kincaids house,
Judge Daniel Tyler (Matt Briggs)
wants to remain uninvolved, and
Movie Review: The Ox-Bow IncidentDeborah Good
Content Managerboth mayor Gerald Tetley (William
Eythe) and Deputy Butch Mapes
(Dick Rich) are just as bloodthirsty
as the mob.
Carter, Croft, Davies, and
an African-American known as
Sparks (Leigh Whipper) are all
dubious about the situation, but
understand that if they show op-
position to the posse, they may
become suspects themselves. Sorather than relinquish what little
ability they have to prevent a trag-
edy from occurring, they reluc-
tantly join the restless group.
The posse then sets off to
nd the cattle-rustling murder-
ers. After a long, cold ride, they
nd newly arrived rancher Donald
Martin (Dana Andrews) and his
employees, a suspicious Mexican
named Juan Martinez (Anthony
Quinn) and a senile old man (Fran-
cis Ford), who is barely lucid. The
posse is unfamiliar with the three
men and circumstantial evidence
begins to mount against them.
Martin argues eloquently that
he is innocent and that the mob
should check the facts before tak-ing any action, but his words fall
on deaf ears. The mob decides
there is no choice but to kill the
newcomers. Martin attempts to
negotiate with the mob, but only
manages to convince the leaders
to wait until dawn so that he can
write one nal letter to his wife.
Dana Andrews performance as
Martin in this portion of the movie
contributes greatly to the lms
continued praise. He exemplies
Martins exasperation, horror, and
fear in the face of death.
Meanwhile, Davies continues
his attempt to dissuade the par-
ticipants from taking Martins life
and proposes taking the men
back to town for a real trial. But
the anger of the mob drowns out
Davies and Martin, Martinez, andtheir old companion are hanged.
On the way home, the posse
meets the sheriff, who reveals
there was a misunderstanding.
Kincaid is not dead, merely in-
jured, and the men he identied
as his attackers have already
been arrested. The mob just mur-
dered three innocent men.
The guilt ridden mob rides into
town and the contents of Mar-
tins letter to his wife are nally
revealed. In concordance with
the theme of the movie, the letter
reads, A man just naturally cant
take the law into his own hands
and hang people without hurtin
everybody in the world, cause
then hes just not breakin onelaw, but all laws. [Law is] every-
thing people ever have found out
about justice and whats right and
wrong. Its the very conscience of
humanity. The Ox-Bow Incident
presents a powerful condemna-
tion of the mob mentality and its
message still resonates clearly
nearly seventy years after its re-
lease.
FLASHLIGHTS Hidden Behind Trees EP: A reverb-drenched
electro-pop record that blurs the lines between pop and electronic music,
Trees marks FLASHLIGHTS rst release on LA-based Binary Records.
The 6 tracks mastered by Tjutjunas Brian Marcus, mix Sam Martins retro
synth sounds with Ethan Converses aural vocals. Top track: Holidays
Thrifty Astronaut Caffeine Heartache: If Bob Dylan and Neutral
Milk Hotel had a baby it would be Thrifty Astronaut. Distorted acoustic
guitar, bright toy-keyboard tones, and lyrics about girls (who have lip rings
and like boys who huff glue), and middleclass suburban drudgery mix
into a sometimes delightful, sometimes heart wrenching experience. Top
track: Middleclass Suburban Teenager Blues
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Whether you are trying to re-
kindle fond childhood memories
or lending a helping hand to a
young family member, dying eggs
is always a fun Easter tradition.
Egg decorating has truly become
an art of its own, and there are
seemingly endless ways to create
your very own masterpiece. De-
scribed below are two methods
- one traditional and one more
abstract. Depending on the time
and amount of effort you are will-
ing to contribute, try one out and
create some egg-cellent art!
This rst egg-dying method is
not for the faint of heart. Be fore-
warned that it will take quite a bit
of time, but the results are well
worth the effort. You will need
eggs (not boiled), 100% silk ties,
and string. The rst step is to cut
the silk ties into squares large
enough to wrap around each
egg. Since these
ties are obviously
being destroyed,
buy some cheap
ones from stores
like Goodwill
(ones with pat-
terns tend to work
best). With the
ties cut-out, wrap
the fabric around
the egg with the
satin side of the
fabric touching
the egg. The next
step is to use the
string to wrap
around the fabric-
covered egg. This
is the most time-
consuming part of
the process and
you must make
Tips for egg-cellent eggsKatie Huckfeldt
Managing Editor
sure that no part of the fabric is
showing (make sure you have a
lot of string!). Once the egg is
covered, cut the string, leaving
a trailing piece. Now it is time to
boil the eggs. Put as many of the
wrapped eggs as you want in a
boiling pot of water and cook for
20 minutes. Drain the water, let
the eggs cool for a few minutes,
and then unwrap the eggs. If
done correctly, the pattern of your
tie will be beautifully displayed on
your egg!
The second method is a more
traditional one, suitable for those
with time-constraints. Simply pick
up eggs and a dying-kit from your
local supermarket. The standard
dying kits have color tablets, usu-
ally some decorations, and are
very inexpensive. The rst step
is to boil your eggs - in case of
an accident this makes clean-
up a lot easier. Next, lay down
newspaper or paper towels on
your work area. If the dye gets on
anything, it will stain! With the dye
tablets, the instructions state you
can use water or vinegar. Use vin-
egar for more vibrant colors and
water for diluted pastel colors.
Use a different container for each
colored dye and start dipping
your eggs. To get an even and
uniform color on your egg, use a
utensil (plastic spoons work well)
to continuously turn the egg in
the colored dye. Once your egg is
colored, transfer it to an egg car-
ton or provided stand to dry. The
dye takes awhile to dry, so wait a
good half hour before continuing
decorating. At this point, let your
creativity take over! You can use
glue to make patterns with glit-
ter or sequences, or just grab a
sharpie and draw your own pic-
ture. The possibilities are endless.
So if your feeling the holi-
day spirit, try one of these dying
methods and make your own egg
art! And the best part is - it is art
you can eat!
When decorating eggs, the creative possibilities are endless.
KATHERINE HUCKFELDT / OREDIGGER
The Democratic party was
alive and well 100 years ago as
members were reminded that
the Democratic State Conven-
tion was rapidly approaching.
In the April 26, 1876, issue
of The Colorado Transcript,
George W. Miller and James T.
Smith, chairman and secretary
of the Colorado Democratic
Party, respectively, made sure
that all fellow Democrats were
aware of the upcoming state
meeting to select six delegates
to send to the Democratic Na-
tional Convention in St. Louis
on June 27, 1876.In Colorado, the weather is
always of interest, even if the
year is 1876. The Colorado
Transcript reported that the
weather just now is all that the
fancy of the most enthusiastic
Coloradan would care to paint
it. The bluffs and foot-hills in
sight of town are putting on
This week in
Colorado HistoryPolitics and papersDeborah GoodContent Manager
their spring coat of green, andthe average town cow that is
not happy does not deserve to
live through another of these
haleyon days.
The Golden Paper Mills
was rebounding after what
the Transcript termed a
long term of idleness caused
by litigation. The Transcript
did not elaborate on what this
litigation concerned, but did
seem quite excited to welcome
the paper back. The mill was
expected to produce its rst
new batch of paper after two
weeks of dormancy. It was ex-
pected to begin with wrapping
paper, with newsprint to follow.
In a rather unwelcome andanti-climactic statement, the
Transcript announced the
delinquent tax list would be re-
leased the next week in The
Golden Globe, the other local
paper of the time. Transcript
readers surely hoped they
would not need a copy of the
Globe the next week.
Lar ow he ne n as mad a diffrc for you at givig.mis.du/studtscomplts your ducatio
Without it,ultimatly your discswould b groudd.
fact:Mo
reThan1/3oFyoureduca
T
io
nis
Fu
nde
db
y
ouTsidesupporT.
fact:T
heM
inesFu
ndhe
lps
MainTain
areason
caMp
usyo
uenjo
y, suchas KaFadarcoMMonsandTh
eiMFie
l
d.
Do YOU have what it takes
to become a Zoner?
THE CARNIVORE CHALLENGE
6lb Calzone Chow Down
We DARE you.
Its the big one! Now at Mannie & Bos.See our website for contest details:
www.mannieandbospizza.com
16399 S. Golden Rd 303.277.1793
-
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w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
proudlyservingallegrocoffee&tea
organicespressodrinks
hormone - freemilk
Do you work on Campus onSaturdays?
You can now get your AFPP(Afternoon Face PlantPrevention) at the Book & Brew
Mines most unique Masters
program is getting a new direc-tor. Kathleen Hancock, recently
promoted Associate Professor
in LAIS, will begin to direct this
exceptional cadre of students
beginning next academic year.
Dr. Hancock is excited to be-
come even more involved in this
growing program in International
Political Economy of Resources
(MIPER) because she gets to
work with students from diverse
backgrounds and age ranges
who come to the program with
national and international expe-
rience in engineering, business,
economics, and other elds.
This variety of student interests
and experiences combines with
the diverse faculty backgroundsto make the courses lively and
bring an unparalleled depth to the
classroom.
Dr. Hancock comes to this
position with expertise in interna-
tional and comparative economic
integration and this is precisely
what MIPER seeks to do: intro-
duce students to the complexi-
ties of resource, economic, and
political issues between and
across countries. She is pas-
sionate about her own eld of
political science and international
relations; she nds it fascinating
to discover similarities between
very different cultures and time
Expertise in economic integration makesKathleen Hancock MIPERs new directorCourtney Hollis
Guest Columnist
periods. For example, she has
compared economic policies
among countries that once be-
longed to the former Soviet Union
with those in southern Africa.These connections can help im-
prove standards for government,
health, and education.
Dr. Hancock got her start in
political science working on politi-
cal campaigns and then as a lob-
byist for the Federation of Ameri-
can Scientists. After earning her
Masters, she worked for 5 years
for the Government Account-
ability Ofce in
W a s h i n g t o n ,
D.C., as a Senior
Analyst on inter-
national security
issues. This po-
sition gave her
insight into the
struggles of newstates. After the
Soviet Union fell
in 1991, a num-
ber of states be-
came indepen-
dent countries
for the rst time,
incurring major
international ob-
ligations, such
as reporting mili-
tary maneuvers
and other key
information. The
United States
sent computers
to several, to
help them report this information.
After months of what appeared to
be non-compliance, it was dis-
covered that the computers were
still sitting in the boxes, as noone knew how to use them. This
example illustrates that merely
sending technology to an emerg-
ing country without proper edu-
cation will not solve the problems
it is meant to address. Mines
students can learn much about
how their work in a science or en-
gineering eld can be enhanced
with the knowledge of political,
social, and economic implica-
tions before entering the eld.
Currently, Dr. Hancock is
studying economic integration
around the world, in particular theEuropean Union and the South-
ern African Customs Union. In the
past few months alone, she has
traveled to Berlin, Brussels, and
Pretoria (South Africa) to partici-
pate in conferences and conduct
research on this topic. In April,
she earned two grants, one to
enhance her courses on interna-
tional political economy and the
Dr. Hancock visits Edgar Mine with students and faculty.
other to travel to South Africa and
Namibia for research this sum-
mer.
Although at Mines only two
years, she has made signicantcontributions, such as serving on
the committee that interviewed
and selected Mines new director
for the McBride Honors program.
In addition, WISEM sponsored
her as one of the three women
from Mines to attend the AMI
(Academic Management Institute)
and Dr. Hancock spoke at the
recent female faculty luncheon
about a new NSF grant op-
portunity for Mines female
faculty.
Dr. Hancock strongly
believes Mines students
can gain personally and
professionally by complet-
ing the International Po-
litical Economy (IPE) Minorand the MIPER program.
As countries around the
world develop, they are in-
tegrating knowledge from
other societies. Armed
with knowledge of other
cultures and political and
economic systems, Mines
students can play a major
role in our globalized econ-
omy. For those interested
in learning more about the
MIPER program and fac-
ulty, see miper.mines.edu/;
for more about the IPE and
other minors in LAIS, see
lais.mines.edu/.
COURTESY KATHLEEN HANCOCK
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w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
Earth Day was rst organized
on April 22, 1970 by Wisconsin
Senator Gaylord Nelson in re-
sponse to an oil spill in Califor-
nia. Today, many universities and
communities around the world
celebrate the holiday with edu-
cational exhibits on ecology, con-
servation, and alternative energy.
Mines students celebrated
Earth Day on Friday at Stratton
Commons with music, pizza,
beer, and of course demonstra-
tions of ecologically-friendly tech-
nology and products.
Rocky Mountain Hydroponics
& Organics discussed organic
gardening and low-impact fertiliz-
ers, Small Planet E-Vehicles gave
test rides on electric bicycles,
and NREL demonstrated solar
and fuel cell technology.
There were also exhibits on
composting and a wood-chip
gassier furnace.
Perhaps the real reason most
students attended, pizza from
Lil Riccis and beer from Golden
City Brewery were provided for
free. Musical entertainment was
provided by local bands Save the
Grease String Band, Hedje, and
Whiskey King Co.
Earth Day celebrationeducates, entertainsBryant Pocock
Staff Writer
Whiskey King Company, Hedje and Save the Grease String
Band performed live at this years Earth Day celebration.
There were many demonstrations at the event, including
an exhibit on a wood-chip gassier furnace.
Organic gardening and low-impact fertilizers were discussed .
After what has been a fun time
covering rockets, space history,
and planets, it is time to return to
what we can see for ourselves.
The spring sky is one of the more
beautiful congurations of the
heavens above. The large power-
ful constel-
lations such
as Orion and
Cassiopeia
still shine in
west, and
new con-
ste l la t ions
such as
Botes can
be found
after sun-set in the
fresh new
eastern sky.
This particu-
lar spring is made all the better
by the presence of Saturn to the
southeast along with the upcom-
ing new moon next Monday.
As it is fairly easy to spot given
its location over Denver, Botes
will serve as a point
of interest over the
next few months.
Depending upon
your source of my-
thology, Botes
has a variety of
forms, from that
of the rst plough-man who uses his
team of oxen to
keep the heavens
in constant mo-
tion to that of a
winemaker who
upon learning the
secret of making
wine from Bacchus
made a wine so powerful that all
that drank his mixture believed
they were poisoned due to the
strength of their hangovers. No
matter the myth, Botes is always
memorialized in the sky for doing
something great or doing some-
thing a bit too great.
Botes is most easily recog-
nized by its alpha star, Arcturus,the brightest star in the northern
hemisphere and one of the few
that has a noticeable orange hue
to the naked eye. The star itself
is a giant star signicantly larger
than our own sun, though it is
likely that later in the future, our
own sun will
be much
similar in
size and out-
put. There
are also a
few claims
that the star
may have a
companion,
whether it be
a large plan-et or small
binary star,
though these
are hardly
conrmed.
Botes should be directly over
the Eastern sky between around
60 to 70 degrees up and should
rise to be nearly overhead by
around 1:00 AM and is surround-
ed to the east by
Hercules, south
by Spica, and
north by the long
draping Draco.
The spring sky
is a great opportu-
nity to learn some
new constellationssince positions
can be deter-
mined off of the
familiars ones that
are still around un-
til early summer.
Also, as the night
moves on and
you nd yourself
still up studying for upcoming -
nals, grand constellations such as
Cygnus will be rising, giving a brief
taste of the magnicent summer
skies.
May the stars shine brightly in
your skies!
The starsabove MinesWelcome to the Spring SkyJohn Bristow
Staff Writer
The spring sky is a
great opportunity
to learn some new
constellations since
positions can be de-
termined o of the
familiars ones that
are still around until
early summer.
Students enjoy the festivities late Friday afternoon.
BRYANT POCOCK / OREDIGGER
BRYANT POCOCK / OREDIGGER
BRYANT POCOCK / OREDIGGER
BRYANT POCOCK / OREDIGGER
JOHN BRISTOW / OREDIGGER
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w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
For most of us at Mines, school-
work dominates our time and an
hour or two of free time is a luxury.But CSM golfer Jim Knous priori-
ties are a little bit skewed. In ad-
dition to attending 8 AM classes
every day of the week, Knous will
head out to Bear Creek golf course
to spend not one, but ve hours
each day working on his game. In
three seasons as an Oredigger, the
junior civil engineer has recorded
15 top ve nishes, four rst place
nishes, has earned All-RMAC
accolades all three years, been
named the RMAC freshman golfer
of the year, and led Mines in scor-
ing average all three years as well.
With the conclusion of the regu-
lar season last week, Knous hopes
to lead the Orediggers deep into
postseason play. For the secondconsecutive season, Mines has
qualied as a team to compete at
the Regional Tournament in Albu-
querque, NM, taking place during
dead week. The top ve nishing
teams and the top two individual
scoring golfers will then advance
to the national championships in
Alabama. In 2008, Mines failed to
qualify for the Regional Tourna-
ment as a team and Knous, the
Orediggers sole representative,
... Jim Knous, Junior: Civil Engineering, Golf
Athlete WeekoftheTrevor Crane
Content Managernished a single stroke away from
advancing. During last seasons
run, the team nished in 13th place
and Knous fell short of the National
Tournament once again, this time
by a mere two strokes.So as the rest of the Mines
community will be channeling all
of their energy into preparations
for nal exams, Knous will look to
nally break the trend of the past
few years to become the rst golfer
in recent Mines history to reach
nationals. For his performance
and representation of Mines on the
course, Jim Knous is this weeks
Athlete of the Week.What does your practice
schedule look like?
We have mandatory practices
three days a week, but we like to
get out to the course every day.
Some days we just get out to the
driving range, other days we play
a full 18 holes. Sometimes beforetournaments we have qualifying
rounds, to get some competition
and see who gets to travel.How did you start golng?
I grew up in Basalt, CO, and
Ive pretty much been playing my
whole life since I was like three
or four. When I was at the State
Tournament in high school, the
Mines coach was there watching
my teammate, and we just started
talking, and I ended up coming
here to play.How do you prepare for each
tournament?
We get there on Sunday and
play a practice round and hit a
bunch of shots from the range.I like to get in some shots in the
short game because thats what
usually separates the golfers.
What has it been like to
watch the golf team develop
over the past few years?
Its been pretty cool. When I
started my freshman year, coach
brought in seven of us and we were
okay, but not great. Ever since,
coach has really recruited well and
the competition throughout makes
everyone better, and forces every-
one to improve. Its been a great
college experience so far.What is your favorite golf
memory?
Probably my rst tournament
freshman year. I ended up winningthe rst tournament I played in and
shot a 67 in the nal round to beat
out my teammate, who was my
roommate. It was a great experi-
ence.
How do you stay focused on
both nals and golf while the
regional tournament is going
on?
Its tough. I kinda put school
in the back of my mind. I know it
sounds bad, and my grades kind
of suffer, but I try to focus on golf.
I take it shot by shot, and try to do
the best I can even if I have a bad
hole. I try to have a good attitude,
too. Golf is a mental game.
Who is your favorite pro golf-er to watch?
Ernie Els. Hes got such a uid,
effortless-looking swing. I try to
make my swing look like his every
time I go out.What is your fa-
vorite hole at Au-
gusta?
Denitely number
12, the par three.
Its just an awesome
looking hole. They
make it look so easy
on TV.Favorite part
about being a stu-
dent athlete?
Probably all the
free golf I get to play.If I wasnt on playing
for a college team,
I would have to pay
every time I wanted
to play.If you could
change one thing
at Mines, what
would it be?
Less homework.
That makes it tough
for sure.
What has been your favorite
class?
Probably Mechanics of Materi-
als or Dynamics, one of those.What do you love about golf?
That feeling you get whenyouve hit a great shot. And you
know you can always do better,
no matter how well you do. Its that
drive to be better that I love.
Knous enjoys the beautiful weather
after a round of golf.
COURTESY CSM ATHLETICS
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for world-leading technology, delivering solutions that help oil and gas
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and we'll give you the chance to build a rewarding, international career.
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Do you like the idea of working outdoors
with leading edge technology in some
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about a field-based engineering/
geosciences role at Baker Hughes.
Its surprisingly easy to apply
Find out more about the opportunities at
Baker Hughes and apply at
jobs.bakerhughes.com/grads.
Rogue AI, space-time holes, and
dark humour abound in Valves Por-
tal 2, released 10 hours ahead of
schedule late Monday night. Valves
latest title, set some 300 or more
years after the events of the rst
Portal, builds on the successes of
the rst game without relying strong-
ly on them.
The game still follows Chell, un-
willing participant in Aperture Sci-
ences testing. Using only her wits
and the Aperture Science Handheld
Portal Device, Chell once again at-
tempts to escape the mad AI GLa-
DOS and all the death traps that lit-
ter the facility.
In terms of writing, the story isexcellent. You begin the game
proper by being woken up in
your relaxation vault where
you are informed you have been
asleep for nine nine nine nine
nine - days before the record-
ing is interrupted by a person-
ality sphere named Wheatley.
He claims of all 10,000 test
subjects, you are the only one
still alive, and, after attempt-
ing a manual override on a
wall, sends you on your way to
get a gun that shoots holes.
Shortly thereafter, you attempt
to go through GLaDOS cham-
ber, whom you killed in the rst
game, and inadvertently wake
her up.Thus begins the game prop-
er, with GLaDOS rebuilding the
facility around you as you des-
perately look for a way to es-
cape.
Gameplay
Most of the basic gameplay is the
same as the last game. You use por-
tals to adjust momentum and get to
places that you would not normally
be able to get to all while trying to
avoid deadly oors, soft-speaking
turrets, and bottomless pits. Thereis not much new here in terms of
the basic gameplay, but that ends
up being ne, since many of the
puzzles are new, unique, and a lot of
new things have been added.
For instance, about halfway
through the game, you are intro-
duced to three different kinds of gel.
One of them bounces you, one of
them speeds you up, and one of
them allows you to place portals
where you normally cannot. The
idea is very simple, and, like the
original concept for Portal, came
from a student project, but the way
it is implemented in game is almost
perfect. It is not overused nor is it
underutilized.
Other new items include light
bridges that propagate through
portals, thermal discouragement
beams that you aim through prisms
and towards collectors, and swirl-
ing vortexes of asbestos that carry
you across an entire chamber. For
more about those items, and forsome good laughs, check out the
Portal 2 pre-release videos describ-
ing each of these.Story
I cannot write much here without
giving major spoilers, but needless
to say those that were worried as to
whether Valve could follow up Portal
with something even better should
not worry. Ellen McLain returns as
GLaDOS, who is still simultaneously
trying to test you and kill you, which
leads to some very dark humor dur-
ing the game.
As such, if you are not fond of
dark humor, this is not the game
for you. Almost all of the story falls
into that vein and many of the best
one-liners in the game can take on adecidedly unpleasant tinge when
thought about too hard. The
best example of this is the rst
time you try escaping. GLaDOS
opens a test chamber in the wall
that has an exit leading to veg-
etation, with claims that I think I
saw a deer. If you try to go back
into the chamber, she lls it with
neurotoxin and kills you.
Also, there are more charac-
ters than just Chell and GLaDOS,
which makes for a refreshing
change, since in Portal, the only
one that talked was GLaDOS.
This time around, you get to
meet the aforementioned Wheat-
ley and the founder of Aperture
Science, Cave Johnson. Thismakes for a much more dynamic
game and allows the writers to
really let loose this time.Length
The game is short. There is no
getting around a game that is a
rst-person puzzle-based game be-
ing short, no matter how much witty
writing you put into it. If you make
the game too hard, then you lose a
good chunk of the player base and
any other method of lengthening it
will feel arbitrary and forced.As such, if you are a fast gamer,
you can make it through in four to
six hours. Personally, I did it in ve
while trying to stay on the lookout
for easter eggs. Note that this does
not include the cooperative mode.
I have not had the chance to play
that, but I hear that it is not particu-
larly long.
The length is not a detriment to
the game. I could denitely see a lot
of people getting tired by the end-
ing of the game, and while it is an
expertly crafted game, there are only
so many different ways that you can
have a puzzle while keeping the il-
Zachary Boerner
Copy Editor
Portal 2 arrives and exceeds high expectationslusion of requiring haste. I suspect
that Valve will do something similaras with the rst Portal and release
map packs at some point in the near
future.
Conclusion
This is the rst game that Ive
played in a long time that gets
10/10. Valve is very good at what
they do, and given that they make
money off of Steam, they do not
have to have a fast release cycle to
make money. The game itself is an
excellent sample of what a game
developer can do when they put
their mind to it, and I sincerely hope
that other developers will take note
of Portal 2 and follow suit.
COURTESY VALVE SOFTWARE
-
8/7/2019 The Oredigger Issue 24 - April 25, 2011
10/12
o p i n i o n april 25, 2011page 10
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
Morals to your storyShira Richman
Ethics Columnist
Dilemma 1I am currently in the process of applying for a scholarship. However, when looking over the scholarship application, there is a section asking if I have a Facebook page or not. I know there is a
committee that reviews these applications and will most likely browse my Facebook page if I answer yes. My Facebook, while not stooped in feces, is not necessarily clean, nor is it something
I wish to have an outside group look at. I believe I should be allotted privacy, and therefore I want to answer no, informing them I do not use Facebook. Am I morally required to answer yes on
this question, or can I employ a sort of vigilantism, and respond no on the grounds that I believe it wrong for them to ask it of me?
Needs Money for College
Dilemma 1 Responses
Immanuel Kant would tell you that lying is wrong--regardless of the reasons for the lie. This is because a lie always harms another, even if not another individual, nevertheless humanity gen-
erally, inasmuch as it makes the source of right unusable. By lying, you not only attack the institution of truth, but you jeopardize your credibility. You could just tell the scholarship committee
that you have a Facebook, and put them on a limited prole or refuse to add them as a friend if they try to add you. You dont have to lie to get yourself out of this dilemma.
Seeker of Truth, the non-Goodman kind
In the case of the scholarship, I would put yes that I do have a Facebook page. My reasoning behind this is you can control your privacy sett ings so even if the scholarship committee wants
to check it out they wont be able to see photos or wall posts depending on the setting. Secondly, by putting yes you are not lying on the application therefore the moral issue of ly ing is taken
care of. Something to consider would be what a person is putting on Facebook for the public to see. If there is something in question, I believe a person should remove it to portray a self image
through their Facebook page that agrees with their moral standing not only because a scholarship committee may see it but also to portray him or her self accurately in all cases.
Fellow Facebook User
Facebook is used by a substantial number of people so when examining this dilemma you have to take into consideration that even though you may say you do not use Facebook the schol-arship committee could look you up anyway. According to virtue ethics you need to say that you have a Facebook because it is the honest thing to do. Virtue ethics also says that a decision
is moral when your intentions are for the right reasons. In this case the reason for saying you do not use Facebook is only for personal gain. My opinion would be to clean up your Facebook to
insure that the scholarship committee has no reason not to give you the money.
Facebook Inhibits
According to utilitarianism values of achieving happiness, the reviewing committee would be happy to discover that your Facebook is clean and you would also be happy to receive the schol-
arship. Therefore, it is in your best interest to clean up your Facebook. Also, according to virtue ethics, lying is not a very virtuous act. Setting ethical theories aside, I would feel guilty if the only
thing that prevented me from earning a scholarship was a few inappropriate photos on my Facebook page. Another point to consider is just because you say that you dont have a Facebook
doesnt mean that they cant search for you and discover that you lied in the rst place. I think that your best option is to clean up your Facebook and make it viewable to only your friends. Ap-
plying for this scholarship will probably not be the only time that Facebook could come back to bite you. It is likely that future employers will also search your Facebook, and you do not want
Facebook to be the reason why you dont get a job or a scholarship.
Victoria
Dilemma 2
So I live in a two bedroom/two bathroom apartment with two other people and we have a fair amount of space distributed between the three of us. Just a couple months ago, my roommate
told one of her close friends that he could move in with us so he can get back on his feet. Now a month ago, I was okay with idea because I assumed that my roommates friend (well call him
New Guy) would have a job by now and would be able to help pay for rent, electricity, gas, etc. the basic dues of living in an apartment. I also assumed that we would have moved into a larger
apartment by now so that there would be enough rooms for the 4 of us (New Guy currently sleeps on the couch in the living room). But its been a couple of months, we still havent been able
to move into a larger apartment, and New Guy still doesnt have a job.The problem here is that New Guy doesnt really seem like hes making an effort to nd a job to pay for his part of rent. Hes taking up a lot of space (the entire living room, utility closet, linen
closet), and hes eating all the food we buy. Ive talked this over with my two roommates and one wants to kick him out and the other (the one who is good friends with New Guy) wants to let
him stay which means the decision is up to me. Should I kick him out and cause him to live on the streets with no food, water, or place to stay? Or should I continue to allow him to live here for
free and continue to let him take what we pay for?
Looking Out for Whom?
Dilemma 2 Responses
Looking at the situation from a virtue ethics point of view, the best solution would be to nd a median between the two proposed options: kick him out and let him continue to mooch. My
suggestion for this median would be to give him an ultimatum. Confront New Guy, and let him know that its time to really start looking for a job because he needs to start chipping in on ex-
penses. You can be realistic, and give him a couple months to build up the payments to a full of the rent, as long as he is pitching in something. With this process, you can be assured that
he is actually trying to change his circumstances, and is working towards being nancially dependable.
Danielle
In making a decision about what to do about New Guy, I think it is important to consider all those involved and the social contract that has been agreed upon. I am sure this is a very difcult
time for New Guy and it is respectful and generous to allow him to stay with you, but what were the terms agreed upon to allow him to crash at your place? Did you and your roommate discuss
the details of him staying there? Has he been searching for the job? Has he been participating in house chores? These are all considerations that need to be made in deciding on New Guys fate. If
the original agreement included the necessity for him to seriously search for a job and he has in effect stopped doing this, he has broken his social contract with you. It also seems that by stepping
outside of his bounds and using other goods, New Guy again breaks the social contract. Being generous is one thing, but once one breaks the terms of a social contract they are accepting the
social consequences that come with it. You then have the right to kick him out, but a little warning and reasoning would not hurt. This may allow him to prepare himself and seriously nd a job.Social Contract
If I were you I would kick the new guy out. He is living in your house without contributing to it. If he is eating your food and taking up space without paying for his own piece of the house then
he should not be there. According to deontology, an action is not moral unless every other person can do the same action. In this situation it is not possible for every person to mooch off their
friends and live in their house without paying for his share. Therefore it is not moral for him to live in your house for free, and you should kick him out.
Tucker
I think it is time for an ultimatum in this situation. Give New Guy a deadline to nd a job and start chipping in towards living expenses. I understand that it is important to help friends out in
times of need, but you also dont want to be taken advantage of. I think it is in everyones best interest to have a meeting and set a deadline for New Guy. Taking virtue ethics into consideration,
you want to be the best person that you can, and while helping others in need is important, you may not actually be helping New Guy by letting him mooch off of you and your roommates all
the time. He obviously needs someone to enforce a deadline. This is easier said than done, but it will be benecial to New Guy in the long run.
Tory
You are in a very classic situation, one that has plagued countless annoyed parents and at least one episode ofSpongebob Squarepants. I am not entirely sure if you have noticed the
constant nods to Kantianism, virtue ethics, and utilitarianism in past responses in this ethics column, but Im going to give you a different perspective than these. There was once this great man
named Adam Smith, who surmised that people are fed meat not by the butchers grace, but by the butchers want for something the meat purchasers had. If you are not benetting from this
guy staying in your apartment, you are a butcher giving out meat without receiving anything in return. It may be hard to tell him to leave, but it is necessary.
The Voice of Capitalism
Dilemma 3
Loyal readers, my dilemma this week is of the romantic type, and I need your help. About one year ago to the day, I was working as assistant in a pottery studio minding my own business,
just cleaning up the dirt, when I met a gorgeous young lady struggling with her clay on the wheel. Trying to be an honest, good working citizen I gave her a few pointers, and her cup eventually
took shape. I nished moping and didnt see her again until seven months later when I got a new job and went to a coworkers apartment to help him assemble his new TV stand. To my surprise,
there in his apartment was that cute amateur potter taking care of their newborn child. It turns out they had been married for just over a year.
Well, that co-worker and I would hang out during lunch and after work and he would often tell me that he was unhappy with his marriage, and that she had cheating on him, and blah, blah,
blah. I jokingly told him one day that I would like to cheat with his wife. Instead of getting mad like I thought he would, he simply said please do, so I can have a good reason to get a divorce.
Well, he quit his job, and I havent seen either of them for about four months. Last week out of the blue, she hit me up on Facebook, and informed me that they are no longer living together
however they are still married. We talked for a long time and the next day she ooded my new phone with naked photos of herself. She has been sexting all week and I dont know what to do.
Honestly, I would like to be Utilitarian and maximize pleasure by making all three of us happy, but am not convinced it is the ethical thing to do.
Bewildered.
-
8/7/2019 The Oredigger Issue 24 - April 25, 2011
11/12
For the past week and a half, the Colorado School of Mines has been
in a quarantined state. Zombies have overrun the campus and humans,
with their foam, marshmallow, and sock weapons have been forced to
defend themselves from the massive horde of nerd zombies. Minds at
Mines inquired as to peoples opinions on the events of Humans versus
Zombies.
I really enjoy watching humans run-
ning from me, the superior zombie. I have
been a zombie since Monday at 9 AM.
Loving it; brains.
- Purple Smurf
I love running around and hitting
zombies with a foam sword. I have been
human for all the second game, but I be-
came a zombie on the last day of game
one.
- Peep Show
I died in the nal rush for the helicopter
after I valiantly sacriced myself so the re-
maining humans could escape. The look
on the hordes faces when, instead of
running from them, I charged straight into
them [was priceless].
- Mountain Man
o p i n i o napril 25, 20 page 11
w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
Editorials Policy
The Oredigger is a designated public forum. Edi-tors have the authority to make all content deci-
sions without censorship or advance approval
and may edit submitted pieces for length so longas the original meaning of the piece is unchanged.
Opinions contained within the Opinion Section do
not necessarily reect those of Colorado Schoolof Mines or The Oredigger. The Oredigger does
not accept submissions without identication and
will consider all requests for anonymity in publica-tion on a case-by-case basis. Submissions less
than 300 words will receive preference.
Dilemma 3 Responses
When nding someone you like instantaneously it is hard to let them go. In this situation a relationship with
a woman who is still married and has a child is morally wrong. Even though the woman and her husband arenot living together, it does not give you the right to assist in splitting up the family. Your intentions need to be
examined when considering what is morally right according to virtue ethics. If your intentions are purely to bring
happiness to the members of the family then there could be a chance that having a relationship with the women
is right. However if your intentions are purely to satisfy yourself or the two of you then the decision to have a
relationship is morally wrong.
Love at First Sight
The couple is no longer a couple, so if you were to get with the woman, it would not be cheating. As you
mentioned, it would utilize happiness for everyone, but I caution you to look at this carefully. The ratio of women
to men here at Mines is sad, at best, but that is no reason to make rash decisions. How loyal a girl would your
friends wife be if she is so quick to attempt an affair while married? If you are looking for a long-time girl friend,
she is probably not the best option for you. On the other hand, if you arent looking for commitment, maybe
she is the girl for you.
Voice of Reason
You are correct in your utilitarian ideals if this is the approach that you wish to take. It sounds as though their
marriage truly isnt working which is very unfortunate, but in todays society, not uncommon. Going along with
the utilitarian ideals I feel as though you should talk to both parties and see what they think about divorce. If they
could go through therapy and x the relationship, thats awesome. I do not want to encourage divorce, but I feelas though a divorce might work out the best for all parties. Especially since she has been sexting you, it seems
as though she wouldnt be against cheating on her husband which is quite awful. This dilemma really doesnt
come down to you though. Until they decide what they are going to do with their marriage, you cannot make a
well thought out decision. I hope everything works out for you man.
Love Hurts
I am far from a relationship expert, but to be blunt, the way I see it, you have three options: 1.) One Night
Stand, 2.) Attempt to form a long term relationship, 3.) Do nothing/tell her youre not interested. However, it
seems that if you wanted Option 1, you wouldnt have even bothered submitting an ethical dilemma and just
gone ahead with it. Option 2 also seems leery to me; not to be judgmental of this woman, but I would be in-
timidated to try to form a relationship with someone so seemingly promiscuous, especially considering she has
cheated before on someone she vowed under law and God to be faithful to! However attractive she may be,
Option 1 is not necessarily the most utilitarian; if all it does is put you in an ethically uncomfortable and overly
awkward situation, then you are certainly not maximizing happiness, as utilitarianism dictates.
Chris Cowdin
Next Weeks Dilemmas
1) This last summer, I completed an internship for a Petroleum Company. I had two different supervisors,
depending on whether I was working in the ofce or in the oil eld for the week. When I was working in the oileld, I heard rumors from pumpers that my supervisor had been selling old pipe from the eld that belonged to
the company
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