By RUSTYTUCCI
CD Reviewer
RGTSOO6@PSU.EDU
An American Idol star that
everyone claimed was a “sure
thing” was not so sure when he
was sent home. The judges were
astonished and the blame was
pressed down onto the American
people for not calling in enough
and for thinking that they did not
need to call because he was
so good.
Could it have been that every
song that Chris Daughtry sang was
in a similar style and approach?
What made it interesting was
when he had to do something that
did not match his gut-wrenching
post-grunge style. People often
wondered what he was going to do
to turn the song into something of
his caliber.
Technically this album is not a
solo album but an album of the
band titled DAUGHTRY, which
is supposed to be spelled in all
uppercase characters. This spelling
choice is somewhat entertaining
for anyone who talks online a lot,
because it seems like Mr. Daughtry
is yelling at his listeners.
Also the title and spelling show
a defensive side to Mr. Daughtry’s
taste, as if he is unsure of his future
success. This defensive stance is
not required because the album is
quite good.
His television career on American
Idol may have also helped get him
into the eyes of the world’s
rock fans. Chris Daughtry has been
inspired by Fuel and Live, which
can be seen in his music. Even
though he has not stated it on the
world of the internet, I also believe
that he has been inspired
by Nickelback.
Compared to Fuel, who invited
Daughtry to be their front man
after he was voted off Idol,
DAUGHTRY has a lighter touch in
the delivery and in his songs, which
will get stuck in your heads quicker
then most post-grunge.
If he’s compared to Nickelback,
he’s a far more appealing front
man than Chad Kroeger (whom
I personally believe looks out of
place), with a greater vocal range
and far more sensitivity in
his singing.
The song “All These Lives” is a
soft song about a kidnapper, who
has been taking children from their,
homes; this man “is not a person he
is a disease”. As sick as it sounds,
it is a touching song that made my
eyes water.
The first verse of the song
“Doesn’t come down when she
calls”—“It’s time for breakfast
- Momma can’t get down those
halls - Fast enough to see - Glass
is sprayed across the floor - From
the broken window. - She can’t
breathe anymore - Can’t deny what
we know” —shows a sympathetic
caring side to DAUGHTRY.
On the album, Mr. Daughtry tries
to expand into different genres of
rock. On the track “What I Want,”
he is accompanied by Slash from
Velvet Revolver and this gives
DAUGHTRY the metal “ish” edge
that he was looking for.
I am in love with this album and
highly recommend it to anyone
who is a Nickelback fan, a Fuel fan,
a Rock fan or an American Idol
fan. I also am going to say not to
illegally download it, because that
is how good this album truly is, for
all of you rock fans.
A Tucci review of 9 out of 10.
Perk up at Cocoa Perk
By LAYLA DIDEBAN
Staff Reporter
SZDI23@PSU.EDU
A month into the semester and
already the pressure is piling up.
The start of classes brings hope that
this time around there will be no
procrastination, no headaches, and
no failing test scores.
It’s peaches and cream until the
first exam pops around the comer.
Then all of the sudden, eyes bug
out, sweat is pouring, and every
brain cell is throbbing with the
thought of “how the heck did that
just happen?!”
It really does happen to everyone,
and it’s a horrifying experience that
comes along with college life. It’s
unfortunate that the social aspect
has to be compromised with papers,
projects and tests, but, c’est la vie.
For some, the library may be an
excellent way to handle the pressures
of academic evil. However, for
others (this writer included), its
conventional atmosphere is draining,
boring, and ironically distracting.
The Cocoa Perk Coffee Shop is
situated in the Cocoaplex plaza off
of route 743 South in Hershey, Pa.
Its artsy atmosphere goes beyond the
conventional fluorescent lighting,
stiff chairs and white washed walls
one may find at the school library.
Instead, this unique Hot Spot
offers a decor of abstract paintings,
large leather couches and mellow
mood music.
Cocoa Perk also serves a variety of
functions. Its free wireless connection
provides ample opportunity to bang
out those extensive research papers
while keeping a friend updated on
the most current relationship issue
on instant messenger.
However, the best attribute of
Cocoa Perk Coffee Shop has to be
the coffee. It goes beyond the white
styrofoam cups that students can
purchase in the vending machines of
the cyber cafe. For the same price of
Starbucks, one can have the privilege
of indulging in the outstanding taste
of a Snickers frappuccino.
◄ Geek's Corner ►
By USA STONE
Columnist
LCSI67@PSU.EDU
Ahh, the new semester is upon us.
I am once again forced to endure
the burning day rays in order to
continue production
of the Geekly Bi
weekly that you
all know and...
tolerate so admirably
Welcome old and
new to yet another
semester of Geek’s
Comer! The first GC
of the semester is
always a stumper to
me. I am a stickler
for first impressions,
so getting off to a
satisfactory start to a
semester is always a
bit of a tricky point.
For this semester I
decided to start off
with a headshot,
err... bang and go for
shooter games.
These are a staple of
many geeks out there,
and for the cases
that may require
professional help, the
only form of social
contact to be had. We
here at Geek Comer
are firm believers that
if you are going to
virtually shoot your friends in the
head, you should have the dignity
to do it within shouting range so
that your heckles will be heard and
appreciated to their fullest. There
It is supposedly proven that intense
studying actually bums calories.
Now, whether that is fact or fiction
is up to someone with an active
curiosity to pursue further research.
However, when the stomach starts
making startling grumbling sounds it
The Cocoa Perk in Hershey offers much in the way of coffee, food, entertainment, discussion, and generi
is no longer a hunger for knowledge
that one seeks!
Unlike Starbucks, Cocoa Perk has a
tasteful menu that would satisfy any
developing appetite. Its menu covers
anywhere from soups and salads to
impressive Paninis, wraps and clubs.
Greek specialty items are also
available to sample at the coffee
shop and are for those who like to
be a little more daring. Taste buds
would be pleasantly surprised to find
out a scary word such as Tiropita
is actually a pastry filled with an
assortment of cheeses that is to be
dipped in a feta dressing.
The hours are fantastic; being
open seven days a week from 7 a.m.
to 10 p.m. gives over stuffed brains
is just something so enjoyable
about being able to SEE the impact
you have on your opponent, rather
than just hearing about it over
a headset.
There is a wide range of shooter
games on the market today. What
A screenshot from popular first-person shooter game, Half Life 2. A first-person shooter game gives the player a battle experience
without ever leaving the house.
is perhaps one of the staples of the
genre is Halo and Halo 2 for X-Box.
Never before had I heard such an
interesting chorus of curses, jeers,
and battle cries as in my first Halo
one less thing to memorize. It’s a
convenient commute from campus
as it is only fifteen minutes away.
Studying can get to be a tedious
activity over an extensive amount of
time and breaks are recommended
periodically to get the brain
refreshed and able to retain the next
bit of information.
Cocoa Perk offers a variety of
board games such as Trouble, Clue,
Chutes and Ladders, Guess Who,
and Trivial Pursuit. Sometimes
it’s necessary to just hang out with
friends and take a breather from the
erroneous amounts of stress that
piles up week to week.
Some people find it difficult to relax
even when playing board games.
Ironically, the competitive nature
found most dense in the United States
does not allow a person to hang loose
during a game of Connect Four.
It is scary to think that the inbred
drive to succeed can push a person
to want to cheat at a Children’s game,
party. Between the one vs. one, the
team battles and the story mode, the
Halo games are enough to keep a
party amusing for hours on end.
Some other widely popular
shooter games out there include
Counterstrike, Unreal Tournament,
and Half Life. These games also
enjoy wide fan bases and have
unique features and story lines. To
avoid the boredom that can all too
often corrupt the enjoyment of any
THE CAPITAL TIMES
however, that is the underlying truth
of society.
For all the pathetic cheaters out
there, the Cocoa Perk offers yet
another way to try to kick it back
for a while. Starting to go into
effect is their open mic nights.
Photo courtesy of Cocooperk.com
This is when a van
artists take turns perft
or cover songs t<
audience
There was an opei
long before school c;
into session. A variei
people flocked to tl
event without vei
much publicity takii
place and it was qui
decent crowd.
An appreciation fr
arts was evident, ho'
unnecessary to sit ai
and enjoy good musi
Open mie night
played out to be
quite a success
game, widening your selection of
killing venues can be an excellent
way to spice up a shooter party.
In the single player market of
shooter games there are some
classics such as the Doom series,
Quake, and Duke Nukem, that you
Photo courtesy of Google Images
should at least try the first level of,
even if you aren’t a huge shooter
fan. 1 will warn you that some of
these games can get pretty graphic,
and at the risk of sounding like a
February 5, 2007
story as drinking coffee, listening
to music and playing a challenging
game of trivial pursuit with fellow
comrades, proved to be the perfect
way to spend a Tuesday evening.
Cocoa Perk is gaining rave
reviews as their vast attempts to
please their customers are evident.
This once small time comer stone
cafe, through word of mouth, has
overnight shot to the big time!
The ambiance is what draws in
students hungry for relaxation. It’s
the perfect way to charge a worn out
brain and get work done at the same
time! Its artsy appeal allows the
flow of creativity, which is, in fact,
vital to build intelligence.
The only person who may argue
with this statement is the head of the
mechanical engineering program,
which on several occasions, has
made it quite clear that the library
is the only excellent method of
student productivity.
To this accusation this author
has just one thing to say, “Oh Dad,
being creative is NOT a bad thing!”
This left brain stipulation, that
the library rules all, may be in the
heads of the majority of engineers,
accounting majors, and pre-med
programmed robots.
However, for everyone else who’s
willin
complete wuss, REALLY freaking
scary. So if you have a squeamish
sticker on your geek card you
will be forgiven for not trying out
these games.
If you are more into mech type
shooter games, I would venture to
recommend games such as Mech
Commander. Some of these titles are
a little old, but they are definitely not
senile by any means. A running joke
in my family involves a mission to
‘scout the base’, and my brother’s
insistence on using missiles as
scouting devices. These games can
be a great deal of shooting fun and
have just enough of a plot to make
them addictive.
Interestingly enough, there is even
a professional breed of shooters
out there. These hard-core shooter
junkies—team or solo —are the best
out there. There are people out there
who actually win enough money
that shooter games are their living.
Some of the videos of these people
gaming are enough to send us
mortals back to Pacman where we
belong. Shooter games fill a unique
niche in the gaming world, and
despite whatever holier-than-thou
nonsense you may have heard about
them being murder simulators, I
believe they are an enjoyable way to
kill some time (pun intended) with
some friends or by yourself.
So even if you are a hard-core
RPG sort of gamer (I know I am)
never stick your nose up at a good
shooter party. Time with friends
is always good and if you are like
me, you can get great enjoyment
out of grenading your ‘friends’ to
kingdom come.
ien their