Column: It’s (just about) the same thing

How much coffee is “enough?” I’m going to try to answer this exact question. Earlier this week, theatlantic.com published Lindsay Abrams’ “The Case for Drinking as Much Coffee as You Like,” which cites more than 20 different scientific studies, concluding that coffee consumption is inherently good and leads to longer life. I agree that coffee …

Column: Attack of the drones

The current presidential race has very little actual discussion on issues — President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney spent the entire debate bantering on non sequiturs about how the other one lied. Why is it that the biggest piece of news this week is Romney and other Republicans bashing the Bureau of Labor Statistics …

Column: Starbucks sets up shop in India

You’ve probably never heard of Café Coffee Day, but since 1996, they have opened 1350 retail establishments — from Pune to Kolkata — and it’s become a big part of the cultural fabric for many young Indians. But a green mermaid has this low-hanging coffee fruit in sight. Last week, India’s first Starbucks opened in …

Column: Poll-dancing 2012, or understanding bias and errors in election tallies

Over the last several years I have studied statistics, analyzed government data regularly and produced charts and infographics for local and national newspapers. I’ve found the majority of the polls and surveys done today have major problems, and their results are often confusing — most indicatively, presidential polls. In this time I’ve grown fond of …

Older Web Projects

SJSU Cuba Project: Evolution of the revolution Interactive resumé(Requres Flash player)Built with Adobe Indesign Walking the Line: A Look at San Jose’s Immigration Issues(Requres Flash player)Built with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash Catalyst Photo template built with HTML5, jQuery, and CSS Interactive checklist built with Adobe Indesign and Flash Pro

SJSU computer science club perfects projects at 24-hour Hackathon

Dozens of 20-somethings stayed up all night on Saturday — and it had nothing to do with getting intoxicated on St. Patrick’s Day. Instead, about 35 students occupied the computer science clubroom on the second floor of MacQuarrie Hall for more goal-oriented reasons: A Hackathon. “There are some people who are totally gung-ho for this,” …

Office hours should not be slashed

In a 26-7 vote (with 5 abstentions), the SJSU Academic Senate approved a motion to drastically reduce office hours this week, as reported in Tuesday’s Spartan Daily article, “Office Hours Slashed by Academic Senate.” If we accept a decrease in office hours and instead use email as an equal replacement for talking face-to-face, we are accepting …

Megadeth and Motörhead to shred axes on campus Thursday

This Thursday, two of the most popular popular metal bands will thrash the eardrums of eager fans at the Event Center. Megadeth is on its seventh leg of Gigantour, their giant amalgamation of metal and heavy rock bands old and new. This also marks the first appearance of Giagantour ever in San Jose, and at …

Historian speaks on influential economist

Historian David Hart lectured on French economic thinker Frédéric Bastiat in the Engineering Auditorium Monday as part of the SJSU economics department’s David S. Saurman Provocative Series. “Bastiat has a very witty and sarcastic way of making a point,” said Graham Newell, graduate master’s student of economics. Hart studied extensively in history, completing a master’s …

Students: Save some money with knowledge

SJSU students brought 17 financial institutions and organizations to campus to educate the community about finance last week. As a part of “Financial Literacy for the Community,” workshops were held every hour-and-a-half, aligned to class periods, in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library and Clark Hall. Sociology lecturer Michael Fallon was the lead organizer, combining …

Job fair overcast by anxiety, frustration

From lower-division students passing through to their next class to graduating seniors eager to find work, yesterday’s Job Fair connected students to 73 hiring companies. “I’ve never seen anything like this in recent years,” said Career Center Director Cheryl Allmen-Vinnedge, in response to what she says is a 38 percent increase in employer turnout at …

New ‘Angle’ doesn’t work for reunited band The Strokes

The Strokes’ new album isn’t genuine. Half of the 10 tracks are poorly composed — the other half get old by the third time you play them through. But this isn’t necessarily bad news. Last weekend, to celebrate the release of Angles and to kick off a slew of upcoming shows, The Strokes joined nearly …

Art history professor paints a generous end with exhibition

“I just look forward to traveling,” said Art Professor Arthur Kao. “I’ve been teaching too long and it’s time for me to retire.” In his 22 years at SJSU and in his styling of ink paintings, Kao’s work has blended the traditional influences of eastern Asia and Western Europe, borrowing from both Chinese painting and …

SJSU students join in protesting budget cuts in Sacramento

SACRAMENTO — College students marched the rainy streets of Sacramento on Monday in protest of past and proposed budget and enrollments cuts. Thousands of students from across the state gathered at the California State Capitol despite inclement weather waving signs and leading chants against the proposed fee increases affecting the higher education system. SJSU had …

Bright Eyes says goodbye with Hitler, Rastafarianism in new album

In his seventh release under his band, Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst seems to talk about every major religion. The People’s Key feels like it leaves the listener overwhelmed. From the opening song, “Firewall,” we get a profound ramble from Danny Brewer, a Texan friend of Oberst, about how Hitler comes to life from reptiles in …

Campus drill proves an unwelcome interruption for students

Several students who were evacuated complained the evacuation across the SJSU campus Monday morning was a nuisance. “It’s annoying,” said Michelle Azizi, junior justice studies major. “Being in the middle of a deep discussion and finally getting into the class and then being interrupted and having to leave sucks.” The drill, which happens once a …

SJSU students react to violent Egyptian uprisings

A week of protests all across Egypt continues as thousands of citizens fight to overturn the political regime of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, who has been in office since 1981. Colloquially being reported as the “Arab Spring,” the Egypt protests come at a time where uprisings and political changes are happening all throughout the region …

‘Blue Valentine’ showcases heartbreaking standout performances

The film, “Blue Valentine,” discusses the dichotomy common to many relationships. Two individuals, one who is “blue” and one who is a “valentine,” play in conflict. Ryan Gosling’s character, Dean, marries Michelle Williams’s character, Cindy, after he finds out she is pregnant. It is suggested the child isn’t his, but he chooses to marry her …

Find an authentic Pakistani restaurant serving fine cuisine in OC

Pakistani food is known to be hot and spicy. Our waitress said that, in general, this food was easily hotter than Habeñeros – the hottest Mexican pepper. Buena Park’s Bismillah, which translates to “Praise be to Allah” in Arabic, is a well-kept secret amongst the Pakistani community of Orange County. She says they sometimes soften …

Prospectors Club finds gold

“I have an iPod,” said 94 year old founding Prospectors Club member Harriet Sawyer. “And I love how great it sounds.” Sawyer, like her club, is embracing the technology of today. At the 75th annual Prospectors’ club meeting last Friday, the FC Library announced its scrapbook site and participation in the California Digital Collections. Both …

Renowned landscape painter and Artist in Residence dies

Former Fullerton College Artist in Residence James Milford Zornes died last week from complications of congestive heart failure. He was 100 years old. “If you work honestly and work for yourself with true integrity, you can serve as a way of thinking and creating,” Zornes said in a March 1999 article for The Hornet. “When …

Robbie Miller takes on reality TV

Robbie Miller is a mixed-media artist and Fullerton College art instructor who says he is obsessed with the factious world, especially “the clean, plastic, and crisp” Orange County. “My favorite thing about Orange County is how it looks like a golf course,” said Miller. “Everything is in its perfect place.” Miller currently resides in Huntington …

Professional touring studio comes to Fullerton

The John Lennon Educational Bus pulled into the lot between the 200 and 1000 buildings to bring music technology to Orange County. It was Fullerton College’s first time recording in the five million dollar mobile studio: seven Fullerton music students, past and present, as well as faculty advisor Bruce Babad, wrote, recorded, and produced an …

Geckler brings L.A. art to Fullerton campus

Fullerton College Fine Arts professor Megan Geckler’s sculptures are, without a doubt, stunning. “Set a Course for Wayward Schemes,” named after a lyric by indie-pop stars Belle and Sebastian, is her first piece this year, installed at a busy corner in downtown Los Angeles. Created wholly out of bright multi-colored flagging tape used by construction …

Well Worth Dessert: Crepes and Grapes lives up to its namesake, and then some

The quiet town of Whittier, founded by Quakers in the late nineteenth, century was once home to late President Richard Nixon, Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, and boxer Oscar de la Hoya. But since 2004 it also serves as the location for the dazzling Crêpes and Grapes Café. Like its accented name, the restaurant …

Music department spends more than $220,000 in grants on concert grand pianos

What price would you put on musical education? Fullerton College recently put $220,000 worth of grant money towards the most sophisticated and finely tuned pianos in the world, in an attempt to draw the best up-and-coming musicians to the campus. During the summer of 2007-2008, Fullerton College’s Fine Arts Music Department was awarded the Vocational …

Artist’s provacative work fuses elements of American and Japanese Culture

Wendy Maruyama is a contemporary artist and professor at San Diego State University. Her current exhibit in the FC Art Gallery is smashing the traditional views of Japanese ancestry and fusing them with her life in America. Maruyama conveys her ideas through bold images of sex, freedom and commercialism. Her Mid Career Exhibition, consisting of …

Living online: A look the world using Second Life

Professor Paul Lester’s evening Communications 300 class meets every Monday and Wednesday at 7 p.m. His California State University, Fullerton students attend lecture, but as he describes, “It’s just a bit different.” The thing is, Lester’s class is virtual. His class, taught entirely online, utilizes a hybrid between Blackboard, a digital course management system, and …