Op/Ed

Microsoft, Google, and Apple: The Ultimate Opinion

January 6, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Kwan Hopkins

Guest Writer

“Facetime me later”

“iMessage me tonight”

“Just Google the answer”

“My email is RomneyLover123@gmail.com”

Oh enough already! I just can’t believe that someone could say all of these things. Oh I’m not saying technology is being overused. If anything it isn’t being used enough. What I’m trying to say is I don’t understand why people use these services. Facetime and iMessage: made by Apple. Google and Gmail: It’s obvious who made these. Two companies who make subpar products and guess who still buys them. The majority of the world. The ignorant consumer who doesn’t care enough to look at the facts. Microsoft is a better company, makes better products and I’m going to tell you why.

It was the summer after sixth grade when I realized that Microsoft was the company that should be dominant in Silicon Valley. In sixth grade everyone was starting to care about phones. Everyone was starting to really care about them. I wanted one so bad and I was the only one in my group of friends who had a “TracFone”. So what did I do? I started to beg my mother for a phone. Of course she said no but that didn’t stop me from comparing the prices. It didn’t stop me from comparing the hardware. It didn’t stop me from thinking about the overall experience that I would have when it came to getting a phone. Windows Phone was the winner in all of those categories. So then I went into comparing other things: computers, software, etc. This is where I learned about Microsoft and where my “obsession” began.

I started to say things in the class in 7th grade like “You know Microsoft was founded April 4th, 1975”. It was really annoying and really funny at the same time. So then I started to tell people random facts about Windows, Microsoft and Bill Gates. This is when I really started to commit to Microsoft. I would say things like:

“I just think that your iPhone isn’t as good as the Microsoft Lumia”

“How dare you say the Galaxy Tab is better than the Surface”

“Here are the facts!”

But people don’t realize these things. People don’t know that everything Microsoft creates is superior to it’s competitors’. I asked a student about themselves and their personal preference. Here’s what that student to say:

Kwan Hopkins: What’s your preference when it comes to technology.

Chloe Hart: With phones I prefer iPhones because that’s what I know how to work

Kwan Hopkins: How are you with tablets?

Chloe Hart: I prefer an iPad.

Kwan Hopkins: Now when it comes to computers you’re definitely not a Chromebook type of girl.

Chloe Hart: I hate Chromebooks. I’d prefer using a PC.

Kwan Hopkins: Now what if I told you there was something 50% faster and more powerful than a Macbook Air and it was also a tablet at the same time.

Chloe Hart: I’d be intrigued.

Kwan Hopkins: Now you know what that’s called?

Chloe Hart: Surface Pro?

Kwan Hopkins: Yes! Surface Pro 4! Let me tell you about it: It has beautiful resolution, it runs games, Steam, everything that a desktop can run. But it’s also a tablet. It’s the tablet that can replace your laptop. What I’m trying to tell you is that there are other things out there.

Chloe Hart: I know.

Kwan Hopkins: Why do you think you like iPhones?

Chloe Hart: My brother has one, my dad has one.

Kwan Hopkins: Well let me tell you why I hate iPhones. They never change when a new one comes out. They get a little bigger, they get a little thinner, they have the same 8 megapixel camera. They might get a get a few new features but other than the things listed, they never change. Now there’s one more fact that I’d like to share with you: 98% of people would recommend the Surface Pro 3 to be used by their friends and loved ones. Now if that many people would want the people who they love most to use this product, it obviously a great line of products.

Chloe Hart: Tell that to my parents. I’m not oblivious, I know that things like this are out there, I just don’t have access to them.

Now after I presented Ms. Hart with the facts she could do nothing more than agree to the things I was saying. She agreed with me about iPhones never really changing, she agreed with using a PC over any other computing OS, she agreed that the Surface has to be a great product. I just want people to know that you don’t have to be so mainstream. Chloe seemed to only like iPhones because she’s never experience a Windows Phone because her brother and father have one. They pay for something that isn’t worth what they’re paying for. Chloe even went so far as to say she “hated” Chromebooks. What people need to understand is that there are better things out there, things that are actually worth paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to buy.

But I’m giving SLA a break. SLA used to be an Apple School and now it’s a Google school. There was a shift that caused a select few to probably go from Apple products to at least some kind of Android or Google product for better functionality at the school they they spend 8-9 hours at everyday getting work done. But SLA has never had a Microsoft era. A Windows era. Not only would they see the amazing abilities that Windows has but they would see the amazing things that they could do. And I feel this shift among the student here at SLA is causing some sort of divide. I think we should just have one operating system, and that operating system should be Windows.

And with that all of that being said, I can only end this article one way: When you don’t take the time to research the products that you spend your money on you’ll end up being screwed out of something better. Just take your time and really learn about something before you buy it. And I really encourage you to take the time to try out any kind of new Microsoft product. I assure you that it’s totally worth it.

The “F” Word?

January 4, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

The “F” Word?

Kali Taylor

Staff Writer

We all have pet peeves, Whether it’s chewing your food while talking, talking loudly, or endless clicking of pens. Mine, however, would have to be guys spewing out unintentional ingrained misogyny by saying one word: “female”.

There are various reasons as to why you should not identify [young] women as “females”. Identifying women as by this word means that you are only recognizing them only for their reproductive system. According to the dictionary, the word female means: of or denoting the sex that can bear offspring or produce eggs. To me, it seems as if the people who call women females just see them for their biological function, babymakers.

I’m not the only one who feels this way. English teacher Ms. Giknis is also strongly opinionated on this topic.

“First, the word female is a strange one to use in place of woman from a grammatical standpoint. It’s primarily an adjective, which means it needs to be followed by a noun. When someone uses it, they should follow it with what kind of female. A female human, or some other species? Usually they’re referring to a female human, not other species who also use the scientific language of female, and amazingly, we have a word for that in English: woman,” she said.

So, does context matter to her when people do use the word “females” when referring to other women?

“Context does matter, but it’s just not the right way to refer to a woman, period,” Giknis said. She also adds the way the word is used is usually negative and sort of degrading. People rarely make a statement about “females” and say something positive about them. Also, why isn’t the opposite true? Why do we never refer to men as males? This says nothing of what the language does to people who do not conform to these gender binaries.”

Does Giknis label everyone as a misogynist if they use the word “female” when referring to humans?

“Not necessarily misogynistic, but ignorant. It’s not really a single individual’s fault, since I hear that so often that I believe many people (men and women and all) alike are doing it innocuously, with no negative intentions toward women.”

Other people in the SLA community had opinions of their own.

“To be honest it depends on the context,” stated Sophomore Savannah Manns. “if a man called me a “female” and it was in a derogatory way, then I would be upset, but I can not deny what I am, a female and a woman.”

Do the guys of SLA has any opinions on this topic?

“I use that word when I talk about women. I didn’t think it had any negative connotation. But, I will think twice when I speak about girls,” said Sophomore Joseph Lee.

The word “female” is used throughout everyday conversations when referring to an actual woman. Majority of the population does not realize that it is offensive. Even though it has become normalized, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to unlearn bad habits. It may not be your intentions of being offensive, but that doesn’t change the fact that nine times out of ten that you’re probably degrading women.

Underused Character: Felipe Lobos

December 14, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Sean Morris

Staff Writer

Hello everyone, this is a new features column I shall be writing for. Essentially its purpose is to spotlight characters from the world of Film TV and other media have massive potential for exploration and deserve bigger roles than they currently have.

The popular Starz series Power is centered around James St. Patrick, a legitimate businessman and nightclub owner who is also Ghost, one of New York’s top drug kingpins, and is is hoping to break from the latter career. One of the main obstacles in his path is his crime boss, Felipe Lobos. In the series, Lobos is one of the main antagonists with a violent and vicious nature, and is the source of the FBI’s investigation into the drug ring that Ghost is a part of.

Despite the fact that he mentioned many times and has a few scenes- he’s never given much chance to show his dangerousness in person. He’s given a few moments like where he seems to be interrogating someone and is preparing to chop up people with a machete- but we never get see any of the “blood spilt” that he seems prepared to do. And the show doesn’t exactly shy from violence either- so it doesn’t make much to keep Lobos under wraps the way that they choose to. What I think the character needs, and seems to be going for- is a kind the violent, controllable criminal that characters like Gyp Rosetti (Boardwalk Empire), Don Logan (Sexy Beast), and Norman Stansfield (Léon the Professional) had perfected. I don’t know if it’s because the actor’s schedule simply limited how much they could do with them, but I feel as though the show’s next season will have some more opportunity to have him and I seriously hope they can take advantage of it. One thing I find unique about the character is his sense of style. The styles of his suits and shirts are bold, unique and interesting enough to make him one of the best dressed men on tv.

Another thing that I like about the character, at least from a personal standpoint, is that he is gay. I liked that I think it allows diversity into how gay characters are incorporated into current television. . Often it seems like most, gay characters are portrayed as more friendly– the gay boyfriend and whatnot–and, as a result, aren’t given much edge that seems to be coveted in today’s entertainment. Not everybody agrees with my wish on this — One reviewer complained that making the character gay is a bit homophobic as it’s meant to add to his “freakiness”, and certainly not helping the show is having notoriously homophobic rapper 50 Cent being its executive producer and co star. And while I do see their points, and at times wonder it myself, I can’t help but think that the overall character, or at least the potential of the character, offers some more flavor and diversity we haven’t seen much before.

Plot twist this character deserves: (write a few sentences describing the kind of plot that would give this character a chance to shine.)

Lobos escapes from prison and goes on a warpath on Ghost’s life. He blows up the club that Ghost has worked to bring up the entire show, brutally tortures his right hand man and close friend Tommy, goes after his love interest and FBI investigator Angela Valdez and starts the set up his old mentor and rival Kanan to take Ghost’s place as the leader of his New York distribution. This may sound pretty big, but when Ghost said that “Lobos goes scorched earth” I expect to see it.

Editorial: Our Place in the Refugee Crisis

December 5, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.” This is the quote inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. This, along with Lady Liberty’s torch stretched to the sky, has welcomed immigrants and refugees for over a century. This quote is the embodiment of what America originally was: a place where everyone is free to express themselves, free to be successful, free to be accepted on a level deeper than face value. Unfortunately, we have continuously failed at protecting that freedom for immigrant groups. First with African Americans and Catholics, then the Irish, Jews, Italians, then the Chinese and Japanese. Now, the issue is Syrians and other people from the Middle East fleeing their war torn homes.

In the wake of their civil war, millions of people have fled Syria, looking for a safe place to settle and raise families. Most of them have gone to Europe. But even the most welcoming of European countries, like Germany, have their limit. It would seem almost instinctual for the people of the United States to welcome these refugees, since the majority of us are descendants of refugees and immigrants. But for the most part, we are not opening our borders and it is time to question why.

Since 9/11, America has become a paranoid country. We fear different people and cultures, especially if those people and cultures are Islamic. The majority of the country now associates Islam with evil, but they are not the same thing. To quote former President George W. Bush, “That’s not what Islam. Islam is peaceful.” His sentiment has not convinced the masses, and we have allowed this fear to rule us. We increased security exponentially. Since 9/11, we’ve spent over $655 billion on Homeland Security and close to 2 trillion dollars on war. We have also increased the standards and restrictions for people who want to obtain refugee status in the United States. To apply for refugee status in the United States, you must be located outside of the United States, is of special humanitarian concern to the United States, demonstrates that they were persecuted or fear persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, is not firmly resettled in another country, and is admissible to the United States.

This is just the beginning of the process. To get into the country, you must get a referral, extensive background checks, several health checks, and the real kicker is, you have to pay for a lot of it yourself. It cost $680 to apply for naturalization alone, not counting all of fees for heal checks and travel to the US. And most of the refugees don’t have access to much, if any, to their money. There is an incredible amount of paperwork that needs to be done to just get into the country. Then, and only then, you can apply for a green card and work permit. Finally, you get to start the process and paperwork over again, and that’s if you don’t have a family. If you do have a family, the amount of work and money increases with each family member. Unfortunately there is always the chance that one of your family members won’t be able to come over for one reason or another.

The question we need to address as a country is, how can we change this? We are supposed to be the country that welcomes everyone, yet it is almost impossible to gain entry into America. These refugees could do a lot for this country. The vast majority of them are bilingual and that is a skill we need with the growing amount of Arab-speaking Americans. They are also willing to do the jobs most Americans are too proud to take. More people means new jobs and new money. We are, in many ways, morally obligated to help these people because The United States played a part in creating the problem that forced them from their homes. The War on Terror and invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan created immense amounts of resentment for America in the Middle East. We played a part in created the extremists who destroyed their lives. The least we can do is welcome them into ours. We need to force a change in the system. We can’t keep denying innocent and persecuted people access to our country because they don’t have the time, money, or skills to fill out the proper paperwork. We thrust these people into a bureaucratic black hole while they are trying to keep their families safe. This system needs a change for the better, and soon.

Unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the SLAMedia editorial board.

Star Wars: Will the Expectations Achieve Our Hopes?

November 23, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Image from Star Wars producers and Lucasfilm.

In less than a month, Star Wars The Force Awakens will be released worldwide for the world, which is in a fever pitch and is already breaking records, will be released. This will be the seventh film in the Star Wars saga. We have seen the initial movie trailer, which has the most views than any movie trailer set the bar for this film.

Like many huge fans of the series I have seen them all a dozen times. The series really set the bar for science fiction film that few films have approached. But like in 1999, most people were thrilled about the Phantom Menace just like how we are today. There were celebrations, parties and even camp outs for the midnight release in 1999. People would see other films in theatres to get to watch one trailer- just like today. That was before we had advanced internet but the hype was the same.

The only expectation that will surely meet is the box office. This might become the most viewed movie in theatres of all time worldwide. Current;y the previous six have all cracked the top 65 movies in box office of all time. The Phantom Menace is the 6th highest grossing movie of all time. Avatar, directed by James Cameron has the highest grossing movie of all time following Titanic- another James Cameron movie. On opening weekend there will be we’ll over $200 million due to the popularity of this franchise.. The movie will cross $2.5 billion if it is that good. This is encouraging to the filmmakers but we will have to see if they truly earned that money. Already the film has $50 million in pre ticket sales, doubling the previous record.

So how does SLA feel about the upcoming film? Do they believe their expectations will be met?

Overall there has been some confidence in the film. Many Rockets are excited to see the characters of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and other to be continued. Our own math teacher; Brad Latimer stated “I am very excited to see how the story develops.” This is really why the story has been continued. To show one of the best science fiction storylines played out to its potential.

Brandon Jones has a different opinion. He thinks every generation deserves a Star Wars series. For example, he refers to our adults having the original series as kids. For teenagers of today, we had the prequels of how Anakin Skywalker came to become a Sith. “The 7th film is necessary because this generation deserves a proper Star Wars experience.” Some of SLA thinks that this film is for our enjoyment and for the kids to have a chance for a 2015 Star Wars film.

Sean Morris, senior at SLA thinks a seventh installment is unnecessary. He believes it shouldn’t have been produced, as he felt the story had a naturally conclusion, despite his excitement for the talent working on the film. He refers to the fact “many of the producers grew up loving it” watching George Lucas’ original three films. So the legacy of Luke Skywalker and Star Wars remains while adding onto the saga. He thinks the “astronomical expectations” on J.J. Abrams and for The Force Awakens are unfair. Many of the SLA community think you just can’t “beat” the originals. Sean said the he will give the film “a chance” and has mixed, but overall positive feelings about it.

There are many predictions coming out for this new film. Sean Morris says it will be the “highest grossing” movie of all time. As an avid fan and SLA student I think this is very possible. Jason Greene, a junior at SLA says he thinks Han Solo will die in this new series and have Star Wars fans losing their minds.

The expectations are fairly high at SLA. Most people think this will be a good movie but far from a classic. We received as low as a 3 for an expectation to a 4.5/5 in expectations. From everyone’s favorite math teacher, we received a 4.13852 out of 5 for an expectation. This is a very high expectation from a person who disregards the prequels as Star Wars movies. Of all the expectations set for this next film, the average expectation was around 3.9/5.

There’s a lot to hope for with Abrams’ directing the new series. The bar has been set very high and the only way to meet it is to make a terrific movie. The question on everyone’s mind is will this be another Phantom Menace, or an original when it comes to quality. As fans we can do one of two things: cheer, or boo. Let’s all hope we cheer and enjoy one of the finest film series to ever hit the screens return. We all are more than ready.