December 12, 2006 THE CAPITAL TIMES Food and fun, a promise at the Capitol Diner Q i By DIVINIQUi MURRAY Skiff Reporter DVMH2OPSU.EDU Yes, he’s done it again. Yes, that’s right. It has not even been a whole week since the Jay-z album, Kingdom Come , has hit the shelf and the artist has almost reached the platinum status. The rapper retired in 2003 and bounced right back into the game three years later, and he has compared himself to basketball player Michael Jordan. Well, I guess it’s not really shocking that the hip-hop king would be able to sell so many albums in so little time. So I don’t know about you guys, but I was indeed one of the first people in line trying to cop my Jay-z album. Although many people seem to “Yeah, we don’t know where think that this album is not as good it picked it up from,” she said. I as his other albums, one must take never had a Furby, but I understood some things into consideration. then why her mother was First Jay-z. Hova, Shawn Carter, against them. S-dot, Jigga, whatever you want to The Capitol Diner sits right off the call the artist, is now a big business Swatara exit of 1-283 and is a hot spot man, andyou can't expect the for poor starving college students. It arftfeftePYap flbo uft h e’’hSffrYimcseds ydfTWffiore than just food; it the streets of New York, or all the is a great place for entertainment! misfortunes the artist had to deal My suggestion is to come in with in his early years. and sit at the counter. You don’t You also cannot expect the artist even need to bring anyone else to rap about selling drugs or so along because I promise you will called hugging the block because, leave with your fill of friends, in reality, that’s not what he does. The crew at the Capitol Diner is Actually, the rapper slash new eager to talk! CEO of Def Jam Records isn’t Don’t forget that they are in the having such a bad time. We all talk about rappers keeping it real, be how real would the rapper be if he rapped about things that he didn’t do? Well while 1 was satisfied with the album, some things did seem to be kind of redundant. The fact that the artist seemed to say over and over that he made money kind of made me sick, but then again it is the truth. Jay-z has come along way, why shouldn’t he be able to brag. On the album, the artist raps about relationships with his old business partner Damon Dash and also about his relationship with his girlfriend Beyonce that track titled Lost Ones is among one of the best tracks. The rapper also talks about how he doesn’t do the same things as he used to because he is now smarter, and he’s all grown up. The artist also approaches one thing the lots of'artist seem to be badgering him about, and that’s his age. The rapper admits to being 36 and also proclaims that just because he’s thirtv something doesn't mean anything. I appreciate this album. He’s showing that he isn't afraid to be his age, and it’s okay to show some emotion other than just being aggressive. He’s not apologizing for his success, and I like that. He’s rich, and he wants you to know that because he grew up poor, he deserves what he’s got. 1 think Jay-z is an excellent role model for people, who seem to think that they don’t have a chance because of were they grew up, or because of trouble they have gotten into previously. Although this album is satisfying, Jay-z should leave the mic on the stand as we now know his life story. You have nothing more to prove. You went out like a champ. By LAILA DIDEBAN Staff Reporter SZDI23@PSU.EDU “I want a Furby for Christmas,” Barbie, a 19 year-old college student from Harrisburg Area Community College, expressed to her co-worker, Jenny. They stood behind the display of sinful desserts that greeted the customers upon entering the Capitol Diner. “How old are you and you want a Furby,” Jenny said as more of a statement than a question. She was much more mature. Barbie continued her desire to purchase a Furby. There was a lot of humor in the fact that they were talking more so to themselves than one another. Barbie’s voice started to trail off. So, being extremely nosey, I jumped in. “Why is your mother against you getting a Furby?” I asked. She looked at me and smiled, glad that someone had found interest because it was evident her co worker had not. She directed her attention towards me as Jenny went back to serving her customers. “Well she thinks it’s weird how they [Furbys] can know what kind of mood you are in. She thinks it just isn’t ‘right.’” She was a very friendly and open young girl and so continued, “That, and my four year old cousin had one,” she explained, “and it started swearing.” “Wait, the Furby started swearing?” 1 asked, pretty shocked. ◄ Geek's Corner ► By LISA STONE Columnist LCSI67@PSU.EDU MMORPG killed the PC Game star?-No, this is not a parody of an old song or some geeky Clue knock off. It is actually a legitimate question. When was the last time you PC geeks out there lined up in front of you local Electronics Boutique (or whatever other game store you happen to patronize) waiting to get your copy of the newest PC game? I have to admit, for myself it has been quite a while. Games like World of Warcraft have taken of in popularity. It, along with many of it's sister MMORGPs allow player to interact with eachother even though they are not in the same room. Why would this be? By all rights, World of Warcraft: The Burning PC gaming should be bigger than Crusade expansion is definitely ever with the new graphics available taking the spotlight in many on PC hardw are. But it just doesn’t circles. But is that the only thing? business of customer service and that takes a certain personality. Diners are extremely personal places, and the people who work or go to them usually LOVE to talk. And even if you don’t, trust me, it’s a great place to listen! The conversations will definitely turn a boring night into a lot of fun. When I first came to the diner this evening, I sat down at the counter beside young who appeared to be in his late twenties He wearing a long sleeved black shirt with jeans and wore a small chain around his neck. His hair was dark and slightly wavy and he had a very nice, tan complexion Having worked in The Capitol Diner is off of the Swatara exit of 1-283 and is open 24 hours. The friendly atmosphere and low-priced food make the Capitol Diner a hot spot for college students. a diner for five years I immediately knew he was affiliated with this place. “Hello,” he said acknowledging me. I smiled and nodded. A male host came behind the counter and asked if he could get me anything. “Just coffee please, Thank you.” I turned to the man next to me, “So,” I asked, “Who owns this place?” He had a very calm expression as he tried to read through me. Then, ignoring my question, he started asking me things. After a few minutes of a conversation entirely to do with me, he was satisfied. “I’m Jimmy,” he said, “I own this place.” He put out his hand and introduced himself. Jimmy was seem to be as booming of a market as it once was. Is it the quality of the games? Are games taking longer to make because the eye candy is harder to code? Why are there fewer PC game choices out there than there used to be? By no means has the PC gaming market failed, but it definitely isn’t what it was just five years ago. So, have MMORPGs (Massive Multi-Player Online Role Playing Games) completely overwhelmed their non-online cousins? In part it would seem that this is the case. MMORGPs seem to be getting larger every year and events such as the Greek and everything you would expect an owner of a business to be like. He kept his mannerisms extremely professional. However, I suspected that this was just because he was in the diner. A busy young man, Jimmy could not talk for long, but he left a good impression. Jimmy also owns a diner in Dillsburg called Baker’s. It just had a grand re-opening a few weeks ago. While I was at the diner, a brilliantly dressed woman walked in, whom I soon learned was an important part of Baker’s. Her name was Donna and underneath her long black coat She wore a purple dress and an artistic scarf thats physical appearance outweighed its functional purpose. Many workers flocked to Donna happy to see a face they recognized. I wanted to speak with her because I knew she would offer me a lot of great information. I received my chance It would seem have had a largt in the declining popularity of PC games, but I would say thal they are not the only culprit. Console gaming has also taken off in recent years, though that market has also seen its share of ups and downs. The Xbox and Playstation consoles, in both there old and new incarnations, have seen some truly spectacular games on them and once network support was implemented for some of its games (specifically the shooter games) you didn’t even have to have your'buddies in the same house to run a Halo party. So are PC games down and out? Will they eventually be phased out of existence? I personally don’t think so. Atari, Sierra, Valve and numerous other PC game producing companies seem agree with me. They have produced such games as Neverwinter Nights 11, F.E.A.R, and Half-Life 2 in relatively recent times, each of which have dedicated fan and for good reason. While all things are a matter of personal taste when it comes to games, these are considered excellent entertainment by many. Future months see games such as Supreme Commander, Spore, and Heart of Empire: Rome hold some hope for the die-hard PC gamer. But when she came over to sit at the bar. As it turned out, Donna had just as fabulous of a personality as her dress was. She talked to me as if she knew me for years! She talked about her filmmaker son whom she seemed extremely close with. So with her son interested in the movie business, of course, she talked to me about movies. And she was so animated! Her face lit up when she talked about chick flicks like Fountain and The Notebook. “Now, why can’t life be like that?” she asked me. I liked Donna a lot. I’m planning on visiting her at Baker’s, %’heHS sHl%fJ!*s affl wdlkeitt lonjf. I was sitting at the diner for no more than two hours. In that time I met some really great people I would never have known if I didn’t take an interest in speaking with them. And I talked to more people than just Barbie, Jenny, Jimmy, and Donna. There was Photo courtesy of Google Images ill lof these available to you, it comes down to a very simple question: where would you spend your money? More and more it seems that these options are achieving a greater amount of success than their non-online PC competitors. Then of course, if you shun the once enjoyed, consoles and their multitude of Samy, the manager, who was very hospitable in providing me with information. He was greeting to The servers showed a respect for Samy. Yet, they could joke around with him at the same t Photo by LAILA DIDHAN/Copitol Times because she said I was pretty! I love you for that Athena. On a last note, I would like to add that the Capitol Diner is open 24 hours! Come on, what could be better than going to a diner late at night? You can’t sit down at Wal-Mart guys! And if you do decide to go there around two in the IfiftWffffng get a chance to meet Mary Kay, who happens to be my favorite waitress. If you want to know why I find her to be so great you will have to go and meet her, she is one of a kind. Today, Nov. 28, happens to be her birthday. So here’s a big shout out for you Mary Kay. Happy Birthday! games (or if you are like me and simply bleed tuition and can’t just plain AFFORD them) you have online games which offer an easier to manage monthly fee. New games and expansions coming out are a huge hit with many of us PC based online gamers. New areas, skills, and dungeon encounters (or whatever equivalent your online game of choice may have) keep us happily occupied for weeks, if not months on end. Where does this leave us though? In reality, it is hard to say. I will be the first to admit that I am not the PC game junkie I once was. I have taken to replaying old favorites in order to pass the time in many instances. Even so, I and many other geeks out there still look forward to the new PC games set to hit the market. options There just isn’t the anticipation for them that there once was. In all fairness, in previous years this may very well have been due to the fact that they were more or less the only great in his customers. ime. I found this hysterical. “I’m bored,” Jenny said. Being smart Samy came back right away, “So go get a gun.” It was evident the two were used to each othershumor because Jenny came back right away with, “Why, so I can shoot you?” Then there was Athena, the waitress that everyone just loves! Believe me she gets a good review from game on the block (pun intended). So, we can only hope that the PC game market will learn to adapt to the current times and gain back some of the favor that they
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