Media Archives - Page 6 of 6 - the bird on fire

Hurricane Joaquin Slams South Carolina

October 16, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

–by Chloe Sweeney

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For days, we watched the news from South Carolina as the state’s inhabitants attempted to bail out from Hurricane Joaquin. Many of us had friends and family scurrying for dry land. Blog Editor Trey Lucatero heard from his father, Greenville, South Carolina resident. Mr. Lucatero, who was safely away from the eye of the storm, said, “We received 6 inches of rain; elsewhere it was up to 27 inches.” Former PVS teacher, Mr. Kevin Smith, was leading a retreat of 8th graders through the Carolinas and just missed the downpour.

After weeks of intense rain in South Carolina, with some areas receiving over 20” of rain, the sun finally came out. The relief from the downpour was short-lived as 13 dams collapsed and forced many communities to evacuate. The National Guard and local law enforcement have conducted over 600 rescues. More than 300 people were confined to live in shelters. The destruction of significant infrastructure left several communities without clean water, and 400,000 people were forced to boil their water. Along with the failed dams, a thirteen-mile stretch of Interstate 95 was still closed. South Carolina
Floodwaters break through a walkway in Columbia, S.C., Monday, Oct. 5, 2015. After a week of steady rain, the showers tapered off Monday and an inundated South Carolina turned to surveying a road system shredded by historic flooding. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) Governor Nikki Haley just hours ago extended South Carolina’s “state of emergency declaration.” Gov. Haley said (AP) the National Guard is still repairing 74 roads across the state as well as repairing drinking water systems. There were 17 reported deaths due to this hurricane. The rain may have stopped in South Carolina, but the tragic repercussions are still pouring in.

–Edited by Amber Zheng

Trey’s Take on Technology: The Epic Rivalry Continues

October 1, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

–by Trey Lucatero

The ultimate rivalry continues: Samsung v. Apple. The yearly upgrades cause us to ask the same question every year: which should we purchase? Hopefully, with this article, you will be more informed to make your final conclusions.

Apple: iPhone 6s:
Apple has introduced many new features that have allowed for many intelligent and much needed improvements. Their most advertised new feature is the next generation “Multi-Touch.” The iPhone-6S-Mini-1 iPhone will now sense how much pressure you apply to the screen, allowing for a multitude of new options that come with this technology. In addition to this new feature, Apple has introduced what it calls “Peek and Pop.” With the slight touch of your finger, you are able to view emails without actually having to open them and mark them as read (and perhaps lose track of them). In addition, you can “peek” at websites before you actually enter them, just giving you a snippet of what is to come.
In addition to this “Peek and Pop” feature, Apple has yet again revolutionized how photography will be handled through your hand-held device. In the iPhone 6s, Apple has introduced iSight, a new camera that captures sharp and detailed photos; allows for 4K HD videos; and a new and improved “Selfie Cam” which takes 5 megapixel pictures, allowing for those crystal-clear selfie shots.

Samsung: Galaxy S6 Edge:
Samsung has always been the front runner between the two phones in complexity and customizability, and the Galaxy 6 Edge is no exception. With the new and improved S Voice, you are able to make commands right away with the sound of your voice, opening apps within seconds. Samsung has also introduced and refined two new charging methods. With their new and improved Fast Charging, you are able to full charge your phone within 1-2 hours. If the swift charging isn’t your cup of tea, Samsung’s newly introduced Wireless Charging Pad surely is. As referenced in my previous Trey’s Take on Technology, this charger is revolutionary in our new era of laziness. All you have to do is drop the phone on the charger.

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Still not sure? Maybe pricing will help.

The iPhone 6s is $650 for 16GB; $750 for 64GB.

The Samsung GS6 Edge is $672 for 32GB; and $768 for 64GB. *

*Verizon prices.

**”I just sold myself,” said Trey when proofing this article. Guess which one he chose?

THE RE-VISIT

September 30, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

–by Gaige Griffin

I unfortunately have to write this article. It pains me to even type these words. But it has to be said…I was wrong. I went into The Visit thinking it was going to be a cinematic abomination, but I was completely wrong. Shyamalan went back to his roots, and for the first time in a while his twist made sense. The only time where I wasn’t able to follow along was during the loud, girly screaming of David Kocen. One thing that I didn’t like, however, was the fact that the movie for the most part relied heavily on jumpscares, and when a movie continually uses jumpscares, it starts to become a rhythmic pattern (I even began counting down to when jumpscares were about to pop up.) On the plus side though, the cinematography was done beautifully. The movie was supposed to be filmed as if it were a documentary made by a high-schooler, and it had the sense that it was actually filmed by a student who aspired to go into film but lacked the traditional professionalism that comes with 1st-party production studios. The Visit had humor to keep you laughing, jumpscares to keep the weak willed scared, and the underlying creepiness you’d expect from a 1st-party thriller. All in all, I find that no words describe this movie as well as those of David Kocen: 11/10 . . . it was okay.

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Trey’s Take on Technology

September 16, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

by Trey Lucatero

Have you gotten home late at night and struggled to wrangle your little charger into that tiny little socket at the base of your phone? You’re not the only one; millions suffer every year from this. Recently, Samsung has introduced a stock addition into the Samsung Galaxy S6 which allows for wireless charging. With the one-time purchase of $49.99, you can completely negate this nuisance. With this wireless charge, you can stumble home in the dark, drop your phone on the charger, and fall fast asleep–without having to realize fifteen minutes later when you’re contemplating the meaning of life that you forgot to plug your phone in. In Samsung’s new model, they have introduced many quality-of-life additions (e.g. an “edge” display, Unknown-1 improved camera, and increase in size for visibility) to this phone, and I think this one takes the cup for the most innovative, helpful, and time-saving addition.

Maniacal Movie Madness

September 9, 2015 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

by Gaige Griffin

As an avid moviegoer, I’ve seen a lot of things. Some good, some bad–mostly bad though. However, I’ve been very impressed lately with how good recent horrors and thrillers have been (with the exception of Ouija). Horrors and thrillers are my favorite genre, so I tend to be very critical of them, but movies like Unfriended and The Gift I genuinely enjoyed. So naturally, I was thrilled to see an advertisement for a new horror movie coming to theaters: The Visit. It seemed decent; it had points that seemed to be paying homage to classic possession film–the good ol’ “creepy grandparents are even creepier than we thought” schtick. I was excited to see this with my group of buddies that I go to the movies with. Then I saw it–the most terrifying part of The Visit‘s trailer. I was locked into a mentality of sheer panic: “Directed by M. Night Shyamalan.” I then realized that I no longer wanted to see this movie. I HAD to see this movie! However, not only am I going with my group of friends, I am inviting anyone who wants to endure this atrocity with us. So if you’re near the Rancho 16 theatre at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 12, with nothing better to do, come join us.

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