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(03/13/18 9:21pm)
by Jeremy Rogers
For many planning to participate in tomorrow’s protest honoring the lives of the 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, it will be a demonstration of political outrage, but for others gun violence is more personal. We got to sit down with two important women who are organizing the demonstration and hear about their reasons for speaking out.
Darla Thomas, the Alpha Chi Omega sorority sister who organized the event, has personal experience with mental illness in her family. Thomas grew up with an older brother who she said would be considered mentally ill. While her brother does not have a history of gun violence, Darla attributes this to the absence of guns in her family’s house.
Darla is working with Ball State freshman Lexi Angel who graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High last year. In a public Facebook post on February 15, Lexi shared,
“I'm at a loss of words. The fear and defeat I felt today while waiting to hear back from the teachers who changed my life and the students that will remain my friends forever was the most traumatic experience. This will stay in my heart forever. To think the first man I saw every morning and always put the biggest smile on my face, Coach Feis, shielded students today is mind boggling. He was has always been a hero to me. My heart is just shattered”
When we talked with her, she shared her experience learning about the attack on her school.
(03/13/18 9:21pm)
For many planning to participate in tomorrow’s protest honoring the lives of the 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, it will be a demonstration of political outrage, but for others gun violence is more personal. We got to sit down with two important women who are organizing the demonstration and hear about their reasons for speaking out.
(02/24/18 6:54pm)
On February 15, a group of seven students from Ball State University went to New York City to interview David Letterman. The students have been working on a project about Ball State’s centennial year and have been producing the project since the summer of 2017. The project consists of a full-length documentary that covers the history of Ball State University, a shorter documentary focused on current university affairs, and five short promotional videos. The production team has interviewed professors, students, historians, Muncie locals, and alumni in order to tell the story of Ball State’s 100 years.
(02/23/18 7:40pm)
by Sarah James
On February 15, a group of seven students from Ball State University went to New York City to interview David Letterman. The students have been working on a project about Ball State’s centennial year and have been producing the project since the summer of 2017. The project consists of a full-length documentary that covers the history of Ball State University, a shorter documentary focused on current university affairs, and five short promotional videos. The production team has interviewed professors, students, historians, Muncie locals, and alumni in order to tell the story of Ball State’s 100 years.
The students reached out to prominent BSU alumnus, David Letterman, for the opportunity to interview him. “We got in contact with him through the President’s office,” Director John Osterhoudt told Byte reporters, “and then we heard back literally like two weeks ago and he was like, ‘Yeah, come to New York.’” The students drove to Letterman’s publicist's office in Manhattan to conduct the interview.
One of the Directors of Photography, Amy Frye, called the project, “...really rewarding. I learned a lot about the equipment Ball State has and about my craft a lot, by the amount of shooting we actually did.” Frye was a part of the seven students chosen to go to New York to interview Letterman. “Interviewing David Letterman was a really fun experience,” Frye says, “because he’s a very normal man. You know, he’s like someone’s grandpa.” Osterhoudt called Letterman, “... a really nice guy, and it was cool to see that from someone so famous, because you don’t exactly know what to expect.”
The crew shared a special moment with Lettermen during the interview process, with Osterhoudt holding a full 15-minute conversation with the former host of The Late Show off camera about current events and politics.
Both Osterhoudt and Frye have been a part of the Centennial Project since the beginning of production, and are excited to see it come to fruition. The project encompasses both the history and hopes of Ball State University. According to Frye, “The whole project takes us from our past and where we came from, the good parts and the not-so-good parts, and then is taking us all the way to the future.”
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The project is slated to premiere in the Fall of 2018.
(02/19/18 11:56pm)
Ball State students are performing one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, Pericles: Prince of Tyre, in Strother Studio Theatre. Under the direction of Ball State theatre professor Karen Kessler, dozens of students have worked to put on an impressive production. The show stars Jacob Barnes, an acting major in his senior year, playing the eponymous ancient prince.
(02/19/18 3:49pm)
by Jeremy Rogers
Ball State students are performing one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, Pericles: Prince of Tyre, in Strother Studio Theatre. Under the direction of Ball State theatre professor Karen Kessler, dozens of students have worked to put on an impressive production. The show stars Jacob Barnes, an acting major in his senior year, playing the eponymous ancient prince.
(02/10/18 10:11pm)
by Eben Griger
An Indianapolis tech entrepreneur warned that Indiana’s refusal to protect its LGBTQ+ population through legislation helps solidify the state’s public image as “the land of bigots” in an open letter Tuesday.
Josh Driver, CEO of tech start-up Selfless.ly and the man behind Open for Service, released “an open letter to the state of Indiana,” in response to the state’s failure to pass a hate crime bill in the form of Senate Bill 418. Indiana remains one of five states without such a bill, which increases the penalties for crimes influenced by the victim’s race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation.
In the letter, Driver addresses Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which turns three this year, calling it “disastrous,” but also recognizing the RFRA as “the wakeup call technology companies needed to find their voice.” According to Driver, the legacy of the RFRA along with the lack of a hate crime bill may drive people and companies away from Indiana, Amazon in particular.
Indianapolis is one of the final choices for Amazon’s HQ2, which the New York Times says could boost the economy by $50 billion. While the the impact of the RFRA seems to be dissipating, Driver says the state’s lack of “common sense legislation” may become an issue for state growth.
“Personally, as the founder of a tech startup, I want to know that Indiana has my back. You can give me tax credits and incentives all day long, but I’m looking for authentic support. I need to know that the tech talent I need to grow my business is welcomed here.”
Andrew Hurst, a trans Ball State student, echoed much of the same sentiment.
“I have a lot of trouble with it, living here and trying to be proud of where I live,” Hurst said. “Loving the people here and also knowing that there are many people who don’t want to acknowledge my rights or my safeties.”
Driver ends his open letter with “Hoosier hospitality is still alive and well. It just needs to come out of the closet.” Hurst has the same idea when it comes to the times changing in the Hoosier state, but also has some reservations.
“While I’m very disappointed in Indiana, I also think that this too will pass,” Hurst said. “The problem is the amount of damage that will be done while we wait for that."
Driver's open letter has shown the importance of state legislators. To find out who your Indiana state legislators, go here to learn more.
Source(s): Venture Beat, New York Times
Image(s): Huffington Post
(02/01/18 12:45am)
Last weekend marked Ball State’s 2nd annual participation in the Global Game Jam event, which sees contestants attempt to create a stand-alone game in just 48 hours. We (Eben Griger and Nolan Leahy) had a chance to playtest some of the final products and talk to some of those involved. Here’s what we tested and what the developers had to say:
(01/31/18 1:41am)
by Sarah James
Singers from across the Midwest gathered in Pruis Hall the night of January 27th for one of the 2018 ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal competitions. This is the second consecutive year that Ball State has hosted the event for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. Ten groups competed at the event for a chance to move on to the Midwest Semifinal, and five of those groups were from Ball State. BSU has two men’s groups (Note to Self and Unexpected Resolution), two women’s groups (Ladies’ Choice and The Parallels), and one co-ed group (Sedoctave). All five of these groups are a part of the Association of Collegiate A Cappella, the umbrella organization for the a cappella community at Ball State University.
It was a good night for Ball State a cappella. Note to Self placed third with 317 points, Unexpected Resolution placed second with 333 points, and Sedoctave came out on top with 427 points. One of Sedoctave’s Music Directors, Ball State Musical Theatre Major Micheal Hassel, also won Outstanding Arrangement for his original take on Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing.”
This was the first song I have arranged, so I was not expecting to win best arrangement,” Hassel said.
“It Don’t Mean a Thing” was one of the first songs Sedoctave learned this year going through multiple iterations thanks to Hassel’s work. “This song was something the entire group was excited about,” Hassel said, “so I spent a lot of time working on it. It was really an honor."
2018 marks the second year in a row that Sedoctave has won the Quarterfinal event. When asked about how it felt to win, Hassel said, “I felt very surprised and honored to win Quarterfinals back to back. It was a heartfelt and emotional performance.”
Both Unexpected Resolution and Sedoctave will be moving on to the Midwest Semifinal taking place in St. Louis, Missouri on March 10th.
Images: Facebook
(12/05/17 8:00am)
by Jeremy Rogers
Cardinal Metrics is hosting a social mixer this evening in the hopes that students from all walks of life and all majors will come to learn about how they can get involved with using emerging technology.
The event will be held in the Holden Strategic Communications Center in the Arts and Journalism building from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. Participants will be able to explore the emergent technology of eye-tracking through an iSpy game. Afterwards, students will get to visualize their results and make an in-depth evaluation of how they did.
Eye tracking technology uses a series of sensors that find a viewer's eyes and measures changes in pupil dilation, direction, and blink frequency among other factors to see where on a screen the viewer looks and for how long. Stringing together data points, designers then have access to data about what elements of design attract attention and which elements need to be highlighted more.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="388"] Image from Flickr[/caption]
Eye tracking is used by many web designers to maximize the effectiveness of their page layouts. Applications of this can range from a restaurant optimizing its menu design so customers' eyes are drawn to the best food to news outlets gauging how effective their advertisements are placed on a given page. New uses for the technology are being conceived every day. Eye tracking is being used to help determine the mental work load of doing certain activities and to evaluate the performance and expertise of doctors.
Eye tracking is just the beginning of learning about what Cardinal Metrics does. Cardinal Metrics is a student-run media organization that analyses data to find solutions for a number of varied clients. In addition to gaining real world experience by working with clients, members of the group are also able to receive professional certifications that can make them more attractive to employers after graduation.
The end of the semester is quickly arriving, so there's no better time to learn about Cardinal Metrics and what they do for Ball State's student media groups.
Sources: Look Tracker, Eye Tracker
Images: Facebook, Flickr
(12/05/17 1:00pm)
Cardinal Metrics is hosting a social mixer this evening in the hopes that students from all walks of life and all majors will come to learn about how they can get involved with using emerging technology.
(10/26/17 10:12pm)
by Nolan Leahy
Bunkerville: A Post-Apocalyptic Musical is exactly as it sounds. No, it isn’t a spinoff from Bethesda’s Fallout franchise, but it has the same type of setting.
The musical’s story follows Steve, a narcissistic journalist that leaves an underground city 200 years after a nuclear holocaust.
Carson Crow is the assistant director for the musical and a theatre student here at Ball State. In the past, he was an assistant director for performances such as Boeing-Boeing, Everything will be Different: A Brief History of Helen of Troy, and Hairspray. He also directed a smaller scale musical John and Jenn in the Cave Studio Theatre.
Crow said Bunkerville was chosen to be in the Ball State production season two years ago. Multiple workshops and script rewrites took place throughout the previous two years and that “there still might be before it opens.”
Crow said that helping create this performance is an enjoyable challenge, and that the students he works with have “been on top of it.”
He said the director –-Matt Reeder—wanted to bring out more of the comedic nature of the production. Through the development, students designed all of the technical aspects including sound, lighting, “wacky” props, costumes, and the hair and makeup.
“The lighting is so intense because you start in a bunker, and then we travel to the surface. So, contrasting the two worlds of that has been really exciting for the lighting designer,” Crow said.
The only way Crow could describe the hair and makeup was with a chuckle.
“When you see the show, you’ll understand,” Crow said. “I’m just thrilled to be working with Matt and literally everyone on that production. They’ve been great.”
Bunkerville: A Post-Apocalyptic Musical premiered over the weekend and continues on until Oct. 28. The musical times are at 7:30 p.m. from Oct. 25 to Oct. 28 in addition to a 2:30 p.m. performance on Oct. 28. Tickets can be bought here.
Image Gallery
Click the image below to see more from the show!
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Photography by Nolan Leahy
(10/17/17 2:41pm)
by Byte Staff
Who doesn’t love haunted houses? They’re an integral part of the American Halloween tradition. The actors, spooky sets, dull lighting and scary sounds hold a special place in the hearts of horror fans and for good reason. According to the Smithsonian, this tradition has brought joyful fright to the masses as early as the 19th century, though not exactly with the time commitment and polish of today’s haunted attractions. Interest in these types of attractions began to boom after Walt Disney opened Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion in 1969, making haunted attractions a staple of American Halloween tradition. After it became mainstream for patrons to pay to experience the frightful and spooky, Halloween horror attractions and haunted houses started popping up all over the country.
With this brief background in mind, let’s take a look at a more elaborate, modern example of these horror attractions. Located in Anderson, Indiana is the famous horror attraction, Indy Scream Park.
Originally founded in 2010, Indy Scream Park has become known as Indiana’s Premier Halloween event. When asked about how they go about recruiting scare actors, Indy Scream Park’s Marketing Director, Jon Pianki told us “We start initially in Anderson and then branch out from there, trying to employ as many people as possible. I think we bring in around three to four hundred actors each year. Each night takes around 150 actors to fully staff all the attractions. We just try to constantly reinvest in the park to keep it going.”
So obviously a lot of love and hard work goes into crafting Indy Scream Park. But here's the real question: is it scary? Well let’s take a closer look at the actual attractions. Indy Scream Park features five attractions:
(10/03/17 9:36pm)
by Jeremy Rogers
When thinking about how music festivals - even smaller ones - help the communities where they are held, many people would assume that tourism would be the biggest player. People coming into a community to hear music usually go around to the area shops and restaurants, thereby helping prop up the local economy. Beyond the food trucks, local eateries, boutique shops, and artist displays, what about when music festivals do something more for the communities they are hosted in?
Enter Fountain Square Music Festival. It began as a small operation started by a few passionate residents in the Fountain Square area. The annual event aims to showcase the brilliant aesthetic of the Fountain Square area and the artists living there. While music is the festival’s driving force, it also aims to promote Fountain Square’s local businesses and energy to attendees.
"Although live music remains the driving spirit of FSMF, the visual energy emanating from the neighborhood during the festival will thrill not only fans of live music, but also to enthusiasts of modern experience, technology, and culinary arts. FSMF presents a highly-engaging, eclectic music and visual world that vividly showcases the vibrant creative culture of Fountain Square and its artists."
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Image from Fountain Square Music Festival[/caption]
But once the music stops playing and the Nucleus Stage is empty, where does the money go? One would think that a portion of the money would go toward planning next year’s festival, and that would be right. However, a portion of the money will also go to the non-profit behind the festival: Southeast Neighborhood Development Inc.
SEND is a non-profit group that officially formed in 1991 to help the southeast neighborhood of Indianapolis after the urban area was greatly impacted by the building of Interstate 65. This highway cut through the once vibrant community, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses in the process. In addition to helping renovate dilapidated and abandoned houses, leasing out residences at a reasonable cost for residents, and helping local businesses through development services, one of the most visible ways that SEND have endeavored to help their community is through the Fountain Square Music Festival.
In addition to the Fountain Square Music Festival, SEND has invested over $35 million into the near southeast neighborhoods of Indianapolis. They also frequently work on neighborhood beautification projects with other non-profit groups in the Indianapolis area such as the Hoosier Environmental Council, South Indy Quality of Life Plan, and Reconnecting to our Waterways.
Though a portion of the proceeds will be going to SEND, here is what the price of admission gives you access to as an attendee. Some Ball State students share other reasons why they are going to Fountain Square Music Festival.
Brandon Gick, a senior Telecommunications Sales & Promotions major from Lafayette, is a campus advocate and Fan Army member at Ball State. He's helped spread the word and get students excited about FSMF on and around campus. When discussing the festival he said:
“Ball State students should take interest in FSMF because this is going to be a music festival like no other. FSMF will allow students to explore Indianapolis' growing music scene and immerse themselves in an intimate experiential lighting show on the festival's main stage. It's an event filled with great art, restaurants and local music to enjoy right here in our state's capital."
Still not convinced to attend yourself? Claire Catton, a junior Psychology major from Carmel, is dating a member of one of the local bands playing the festival called Dream Chief, an electro pop duo from Indianapolis who works closely with festival organizers Absorb and MOKB Presents.
"Ball State students should be encouraged and excited to attend FSMF. Not only can they explore the heart of Indianapolis at the festival, but it will broaden their horizons to a variety of music. This festival is unique because it consists of hometown Indiana artists, national acts like Phantogram and artists who are just starting to bloom."
For a listing of bands playing at the festival, be sure to check out our article on who to look out for at the event! You can also follow Fountain Square Music Festival on Twitter and Facebook.
Sources: SEND, FSMF, Wish TV, Byte
Image(s): Fountain Square Music Festival
(09/28/17 8:37pm)
Opening earlier this month, Damn Yankees is currently still playing at the Ball State University Theatre until Sunday, Oct. 1. This musical comedy is about Joe Boyd, an avid baseball fanatic that makes a deal with the devil in order to stop his favorite baseball team from always losing.
(09/27/17 1:12pm)
by Nolan Leahy
Opening earlier this month, Damn Yankees is currently still playing at the Ball State University Theatre until Sunday, Oct. 1. This musical comedy is about Joe Boyd, an avid baseball fanatic that makes a deal with the devil in order to stop his favorite baseball team from always losing.
Damn Yankees premiered in the 1950s and won seven Tony awards back in its day, which included Best Musical and Best Choreography. Since then, it’s made several appearances in other media such as films, high school performances, and a 1994 revival version on stage.
Ball State University Chairman of the Department of Theatre and Dance, and director of Damn Yankees, Bill Jenkins, weighs in on the show:
“…I think the story, whether it was written in the 1950s or today, is still very relatable… Would you sell your soul to the devil to ultimately get what you want? I think the baseball component is a big part for me.”
Additionally, Jenkins says that he is a huge Chicago Cubs fan.
“When we selected the show, it was before the Chicago Cubs won the World Series…” Jenkins said, “…We’re now in a situation where 108 years of depression of Cubs fans has gone away, but there were periods of time I know where you thought to yourself, ‘I’d do anything to see my team do well.'"
Jenkins says that this show begs the question “What would you do to get what you want?”
While the show’s relatable message was a big reason Jenkins wanted to work on this musical, he also spoke of his incredible passion for working with students:
“I always love working with the students, because we have such a great student body… there’s several of our most talented students [sic] that I’m working with either for the first time or for the second time.”
Gabe Ford-Dunker and Reagan Pender, the actors playing the lead roles of Joe Boyd and Mr. Applegate respectively, previously played roles in Shrek: The Musical, which Jenkins also directed. Jenkins said that he loves working with talented students.
“A highlight for me is always watching them grow and get better and learn about their craft,” Jenkins said. “I’m very proud of what we were able to accomplish here and what the students are able to do. I’m really satisfied with the program, and I think that everybody will have a great time with Damn Yankees… it’s a show for the whole family and I think people will really enjoy it.”
Bill Jenkins has been working with Ball State University for 18 years. Working alongside Jenkins is Emmy award-winning arranger and Broadway musical director Michael Rafter. Also working on Damn Yankees is Ball State Associate Professor Christie Zimmerman, the show's lead choreographer.
Show times for Damn Yankees are Sept. 22-23, 26-30 at 7:30 p.m. and on Sept. 24 and October 1 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale either in the University Theatre Box Office from Noon to 5 p.m. and one hour before performances. Tickets can also be purchased online.
(09/18/17 2:03pm)
by Eben Griger
In October, Verizon will be ending the cell service of almost 8,500 customers across 13 states (including Indiana), according to corporate communications director Kelly Crummey. Verizon cites customers using too much data, making their accounts unprofitable which, while horrible for those affected, is within the rights of the company to do. But here's the kicker: some of these customers had unlimited data plans.
So we have people paying to have all the data they could need getting cut off for using too much data. They weren't exactly told nicely either.
“During a recent review of customer accounts, we discovered you are using a significant amount of data while roaming off the Verizon Wireless network… While we appreciate you choosing Verizon, after October 17th, 2017, we will no longer offer service for the numbers listed above since your primary place of use is outside the Verizon service area.”
According to Verizon, some customers were using over a terabyte a month (a pretty common cut-off for “unlimited” data plans). When one family looked into it though, they found they were using just 50 gigabytes across four lines.
As of now, no other company has come out in favor of or against Verizon for this move. If it continues, it sets a precedent for businesses to act in interest of profit rather than the consumers.
Source: Gizmodo, ars Technica
Image: Creative Commons
(09/10/17 8:55pm)
by Jeremy Rogers
If you’ve enjoyed films like Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983), Donnie Darko (2001), The Fighter (2010), or The Fifth Element (1997), then you finally have the opportunity to voice your thanks to one of the key people responsible.
Sound editor and director Victoria Sampson will be visiting Ball State this Wednesday to conduct a screening of her new short film, Shelby’s Vacation. After the screening she will be holding a meet-and-greet session afterwards for interested students.
Sampson has been working as an ADR editor, dialogue editor, and foley artist in Hollywood for over 41 years. After spending years working on a wide variety of films, she started directing her own short films in 1990. Shelby’s Vacation will mark this Hollywood veteran’s fifth director credit.
Not content with directing a few films and working in the sound department of over 200 films, Vickie Sampson has also worked as an editor, writer, camera operator, and producer.
According to writer and producer Nancy Beverly, Shelby’s Vacation centers around Shelby as she recovers from her latest heartbreak, unable to move on with her life. She retreats to a cozy mountain resort where the manager Carol, and her discover how to live life without being captives of their respective pasts.
The screening and meet-and-greet session will be Wednesday at 7 pm in the Arts and Journalism building, room 175.
Sources: IMDb (Vickie Sampson), IMDb (Shelby’s Vacation)
Image: Stage 32
(09/09/17 9:12pm)
by Nolan Leahy
Streaming services are constantly used where there’s a stable Internet connection. It’s grown quite popular with the millennial generation, as evidenced by the heavily-used phrase "Netflix and Chill."
On Thursday, Spotify and Hulu announced a combo deal that gives Spotify Premium and Hulu Plus for $5 a month, which is in effect as of Thursday’s announcement.
The normal subscription for Hulu Plus is roughly $8 per month, which allows streaming of numerous TV shows with the tacked-on requirement of watching advertisements.
Spotify Premium for students only charged $5 before this new deal struck. Now it’s essentially allowing students to get Hulu for free.
This combination of services is a competitive move to keep up with AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile who have individually offered combination services like bundled DirecTV or Netflix.
According to a Spotify News article, Senior VP and Head of Distribution and Partnerships at Hulu had this to say: “We are proud to announce Spotify as our newest strategic partner – they’re an iconic brand in music streaming and a proven leader in reaching and engaging young consumers.”
The idea of combining music and television services together for college students is incredibly generous for $5 a month. To put it into perspective, that's the same price as one year’s worth of Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus. With that in mind, it’s going to be difficult to stop students from taking advantage of this deal that may also ditch the streaming competition.
Sources: The Verge, Spotify News, Alternative Press
(08/20/17 11:00am)
Students, faculty and Muncie community members were invited to snag a free pair of solar eclipse glasses from the Scramble Light from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. today.