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(07/19/19 4:00pm)
by Tt Shinkan
When you hear “educational music” it probably brings you back to your kindergarten classroom. Sitting on the bright colored carpet, looking up at the teacher who’s teaching your class the latest color song.
As you got older, these songs started to seem “childish." Music is supposed to entertain people, not teach them. However, there are a few songs that slip in there and teach people important life lessons. Take one of my favorite genres, country. Sure, a lot of the more “mainstream” songs are about whiskey, love, and tractors but you do get some hidden gems that actually teach listeners something. Luke Comb’s song, “When It Rains It Pours,” basically teaches its listeners that, even though something bad might happen to you, it might have happened for a reason. John Rich’s song, “Shut Up About Politics,” is basically just that. He literally sings that even though he agrees with one political parties views, it’s still nothing but a “big pile of dirty tricks.” We can all still get along if we just put down our weapons and “shut up about politics.”
https://youtu.be/t_OynNTbd-Q
However, there’s one band that centers their entire career around teaching their listeners, and the genre they’ve decided to do it in isn’t what you would think. Sabaton is a power metal band from Falun, Sweden and almost every song they produce centers around battles and acts of heroism in history. Even their name, sabaton, is a historical reference, referring to the foot armor of a knight.
The band has been around since 1999 and consist of the members Joakim Brodén (vocals and keyboard), Pär Sundström (bass), Chris Rörland (guitar), Hannes van Dahl (drums), and Tommy Johansson (guitar). Since their formation, the band has released eight studio albums with a ninth set to be released on July 19th. Seven out of the eight all have the same historical themes to them, with “Metalizer” being an exception. However, their songs illustrate battles fought throughout history as well as telling stories of war heroes the history books didn’t teach us.
I first discovered them when I was a sophomore in college. One of my friends introduced me to them one night and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’m a huge history buff and sometimes find myself researching historical events in my free time. I’m also a sucker for good metal music, so Sabaton was the whole package for me. One of the first songs I remember listening to was about an American soldier whose grave I happened to see when I went to Arlington National Cemetery a few years back.
“To Hell and Back” is about the most decorated World War II veteran in America, Audie Murphy, who joined the U.S. Army at the age of 17 after forging his birth year by a year. The song details his time in the war as well as incorporating a poem he had written about it later in his life. The poem, “Crosses Grow on Anzio” is referenced in the song:
(07/16/19 4:02pm)
By Blake Chapman
The world of video games has gone through a plethora of innovation and evolution. The jump from pixels to polygons, the advent of online play, and all the warfare between console and pc loyalists are just a few examples. All of these stories and more have only added to the history of the most expressive and interactive entertainment medium the world has ever known. When looking back on the most impactful moments in gaming that have come during my lifetime, I can not help but think of Minecraft. The memories and hours spent building my own world have impacted me in more ways than I may ever realize. As we pass over the first 10 years of this monumental game, it seems best that I reflect on my own experiences that made this game so special to me and millions of others across the world.
(07/16/19 4:00pm)
For the past five Monday evenings students, faculty, and members of the Ball State and Muncie communities gathered together to practice for two and a half hours each day, finally culminating in a performance for the community.
(07/01/19 7:00pm)
After his 10-month stay, one soon-to-graduate Ball State student intends to learn and teach about the culture of a region once marked by conflict and war.
(06/29/19 3:00pm)
by Baylie Clevenger
From The Symposium to queer pulp novels of the 50s and 60s, it’s easy to say that queer media has come a long way. We no longer have to know a person who knows a person who has a secret gay book that we can borrow, nor do we have to suffer through the terrible writing and plotlines of those pulp novels.
Though representation is still off and stereotypes run rampant, queer media has developed to the point where it is becoming more regular and expected. This pride month though, we need to remember where it had to start to get to where it is now. Let’s run down the history of queer media. There’s a lot of history here, so for the purposes of this article we won’t talk about entertainment in general because that would be too much to fit in an article, today we’ll focus on books, movies, and television.
(06/26/19 4:00pm)
by Katherine Simon
Disclaimer: This article was written prior to Nintendo’s E3 2019 Direct, therefore some of the predictions made might be a little outdated. There will be an addendum at the end of the feature reflecting on my thoughts towards DLC and how it affects my future predictions.
Arguably the biggest crossover event in all of gaming, many people are excited to see which of their favorite video game characters will make their way into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
While there are some people who get way too heated over which characters make it in or not, there’s something incredibly fun about trying to guess which beloved gaming icons will make the cut while also seeing what kind of unexpected fighters Sakurai and his team will throw at us next. With the first two DLC fighters of Smash Ultimate being candidates that nobody would’ve expected, Piranha Plant and Persona 5’s Joker, it seems like just about anything goes when it comes to who could be potential candidates.
With the possibilities being almost limitless, I thought it might be fun to throw my hat into the ring and share my predictions for the remaining four Smash DLC fighters before E3 comes along and horribly dates my predictions (Spoilers, it didn’t). I mean I was one of the few people rooting for Joker to get into Smash, so maybe luck will be on my side this time. Probably not, but hey this is just for fun and I’ll be happy with whatever we get as long as it’s not Fortnite guy.
(06/24/19 7:00pm)
After a nine-hour work day, she would head out to the studio to work on releasing her first ever single — with some studio sessions lasting from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following day.
(06/21/19 6:00pm)
On his last day at work, Joe Oliver spent his time meeting and greeting the many customers who knew him well at the McDonald’s store in Albany, Indiana.
(06/19/19 4:00pm)
Editor's note: Intern Spotlight is a Ball State Daily News series profiling Ball State students and their summer internships. If you have any suggestions as to who we should feature next, send an email to editor@bsudailynews.com.
(06/17/19 6:53pm)
Editor's note: Intern Spotlight is a Ball State Daily News series profiling Ball State students and their summer internships. If you have any suggestions as to who we should feature next, send an email to editor@bsudailynews.com. Matt Dowell is an employee with the McKinley Avenue Agency, which sells ads for The Daily News.
(06/16/19 4:00pm)
By Blake Chapman
Christmas for gamers comes twice a year. The obvious one is the day that jelly-bellied dude in the red overcoat comes rolling down your chimney to deliver all those new consoles, games, and accessories. The second instance happens over the span of just one week near the start of June - E3 2019. This year promised a plethora of information on previously announced games as well as surprise reveals of unexpected titles. However, major players like EA and Sony were missing from the traditional conference lineup bringing the total down to only five true presenters ranging from Xbox to Square Enix. Even with that noticeable divot in content shown off live across YouTube and Twitch, there were still plenty predictions to make and expectations to be dashed.
Here are the gifts I was wishing would show up under my E3 Christmas tree and what I actually received.
(06/07/19 6:50pm)
by Tanner Kinney
Another day, another problem for massive video-sharing giant YouTube. It seems like every few months, the platform gets itself wrapped up in another controversy. Sometimes it can be controversies created by the platform itself, other times it’ll be controversies connected to YouTube. For the low-level grunts running the social media accounts and dealing with customer service, it has to be frustrating getting so many awful things airdropped in out of nowhere, then being forced to deal with the consequences because upper-management is too busy figuring out new ways to promote up-and-coming stars like Jimmy Fallon or Will Smith. Oh, that’s not-so-hot, is it?
Well, unfortunately for YouTube they found themselves in scalding hot water once again. And unlike the last few times, this case can truly set a precedent for the future of the platform.
(06/07/19 6:03pm)
One downtown Muncie shop’s rich history puts the fun in “Funcie” during Muncie’s First Thursdays.
(06/03/19 5:59pm)
Editor's note: A previous version of the article wrongly mentioned the time for the "One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure" event. The correct time is 5:30 p.m. Fridays – June 7, 21, 28 and July 12. The change has been made to reflect the correct time.
(05/28/19 7:00pm)
The 9 a.m. sunshine beat down on several Crossfitters running from the corner of Dicks and North Streets to University and Dicks Streets for their first of three warm up sets.
(05/22/19 4:00pm)
by Tanner Kinney
Picture this: the year is (roughly) 2007, or so. Nine-year-old Tanner Kinney and his family recently purchased a brand-spanking used PlayStation 2 Slim, along with Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves and War of the Monsters. A friend down the road has a few PS2 games as well, and he occasionally brings them over so Tanner can try them. One of these games was a PlayStation One game titled Final Fantasy VII (FFVII), an ugly looking game that I didn’t understand most of despite being a fairly competent young reader. But, it was loads of fun to play, even though we didn’t have a memory card for it and couldn’t make it past Midgar.
https://youtu.be/Ru9zzFEdGWk
A year or so later, another friend loans us a spare copy of FFVII and a memory card so we can finally experience the game in full without having to keep the console on overnight. I never made it past Disc 1 (I would always get lost after leaving Midgar), but my brother was able to play through the game and I experienced it with him. It was fantastic, at least what I remember of it. I especially loved Yuffie’s storyline and character arc, since she was (and still is) my favorite character in the game. Even when I got older and edgy in the “popular-thing-is-bad-because-it-is-popular” sense, I couldn’t deny that Final Fantasy VII was a great game.
Since then, I’ve played through nearly every single mainline Final Fantasy title in one (or multiple) of their various releases. I have my own personal favorites, of course, but other than Final Fantasy II (Japan) and the entirety of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of them. I subscribe to and even sometimes play Final Fantasy XIV, and I spent the entirety of the week after release of Final Fantasy XV just playing through the game in full, nearly non-stop. That was the first game I ever got a platinum trophy for (although, that’s without the DLC). Final Fantasy is a series that means a lot to me, even with some strange narratives and a nonsense understanding of time travel.
(05/11/19 8:00pm)
by Katherine Simon
I’m sure by now you’ve already heard about the backlash the Sonic the Hedgehog movie has been receiving lately, most notably for Sonic’s uncanny design. Ever since the design was initially leaked, everyone and their mother has been tearing this naked man-hog apart. The mockery only increased when the trailer dropped just a few days ago and we finally saw Sonic with realistic human teeth and the proportions of a weird toddler-adult hybrid. Even Byte’s own Tanner Kinney couldn't help but join in on the Roast of Sonic, and we’ll be following up on his thoughts with this feature.
It’s clear that an overwhelming majority of viewers were not too keen Sonic’s live-action design, enough for the production team at Paramount Pictures to take notice. Only two days after the trailer dropped, director Jeff Fowler announced that due to overwhelming criticism, the team will be going back and redesigning Sonic.
Now at first glance, this sounds like fantastic news! The production team is actually listening to criticisms from the fans and applying it to their own work to hopefully deliver a better product, which is rare to see from a major Hollywood production. However, once you take a step back to think about the implications of this change and what this mean for the film’s production schedule, especially if they’re still aiming for that November 2019 release date, things start to look a lot less sunshine and rainbows for the people working on the film.
(05/10/19 4:00pm)
Cheers filled the auditorium of Muncie Central High School as the Muncie Area Career Center adult education program’s class of 2019 graduates walked across the stage.
(05/04/19 3:10am)
by Emily Reuben
As a young reader, there has always been a wide array of reading options to suit my interests. If I wanted to read a magical adventure story, I’d pick up Harry Potter. If I was feeling more of a dystopian action series, I’d grab The Hunger Games. However the book series that kept me awake late at night reading under the sheets with a flashlight wasn’t Twilight or Lord of the Rings. It was Erin Hunter's Warriors series.
When it comes to popular children’s book series, the Warriors, sometimes referred to as the Warrior Cats novels, are not only one of the most prominent but also has one of the most active online communities. The series has received numerous recognitions, including various spots on the New York Times bestsellers list throughout the years.
The Warriors series revolves around four groups of feral cats living in clans. The four clans all struggle to survive and often get into bloody battles over food, territory, and engage in forbidden romances between cats from different clans. The first six books in the series detail the adventures of Rusty, a house cat that leaves his comfortable life to join ThunderClan. Rusty forsakes his given name and is given the name Firepaw. His struggles integrating into the life of a wildcat while navigating the politics among the four clans comprises the bulk of the series' first six entries.
Since the original series, the Warrior Cats books have exploded into a massive collection of novels, featuring 7 series with six books each. Outside of the main series of books, 12 stand-alone books titled “Super Editions” have been released, each chronicling the experiences of a specific character in the series. Additionally, the series has spawned six field guides, a manga series, and 15 novellas.
However, what makes the Warriors series so interesting outside of the sheer number of titles is the level of online involvement from fans, especially regarding fan animations on YouTube.
When I was about 12 years old, I was obsessed with Warriors. I had every book, novella, and manga that was sold on bookshelves. Eventually I took my love for the series online and began interacting with other Warriors fans on online forums. It was around that time that a user posted a link to a Warriors fan animation titled Yellowfang: On My Own. While the animation has since been removed from YouTube, it had a massive impact on me and ultimately led to a rabbit hole of Warrior Cats animated content. At the time, I was impressed with the anime style the artist choose to animate the cats in and the visual effects throughout the video. I instantly fell in love with the animation and turned to the author of the video, AlliKatNya, for more animated Warriors content.
AlliKatNya, now known by Alli Kat on YouTube, was one of the first big names in the Warriors YouTube community of animators. Alli MacKay, began animating Warriors fan animations in 2007 when they were only 13 years old.
Alli's “Warriors of the Forest” fan-series quickly garnered a following online and inspired a massive influx of future Warrior animators to dive into the realm of animation themselves, including big names like SSS Warrior Cats, DarkKokiri, TribbleofDoom, and Flightfootwarrior. Soon, there was an over saturation of talented Warriors animators infiltrating YouTube and creating a thriving, vibrant community of animators, voice actors, and viewers.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S60zKT-M54o&t=70s[/embed]
Recently, Alli uploaded a video titled AlliKatNya & The Early Days of Warrior Cats Animation (2006 - 2009) in which they detail their experiences in the Warriors animation community. After hearing about their struggles, I became curious to hear more of their perspective. For more clarity, I reached out to Alli MacKay for their insights and more detail into their experience as a young YouTube animator.
“As far as I know, I was the first ever person to start creating fan animations based on the Warrior Cats series, and at the very least the first person to upload them to YouTube.” Alli said. They continued, “When I was in 3rd grade or so, I would gather my classmates to play pretend games based on the Warriors series – the other kids quickly grew out of role playing violent cats, but my interest in the books stuck around. When my classmates moved on to other age-appropriate interests, my only option for continuing to act out the stories was to animate them on the family computer.”
While Alli’s work would later become more intricate and utilize stronger editing software such as Final Cut Pro, their earlier work was made relatively simple programs. There was no Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, or After Effects. Instead, Alli relied on programs like MS Paint and Movie Maker to get the job done. Alli said of their earlier work, “I started out by using PowerPoint, setting each slide to 0.1 second, and playing back 5-10 images I drew in MS Paint in an infinite loop.”
Because Alli was one of the first major Warriors animators on YouTube, their work drew in tons of views, and shortly after, many other amateur animators began to make their own animations themselves using similar drawing and movie editing programs. Aside from the more professional animations that would occasionally pop up, the Warriors animation community was largely driven by young artists, and for many, served as an introduction into the world of animation creation and video editing.
When I asked Alli why the Warriors series in particular was home to so many of these animators they said the following:
(05/03/19 8:44pm)
After three and a half hour practices twice a week, additional individual practice and the help of a personal trainer, Ball State’s Code Red dance team ended its season with a sixth place finish at Nationals.