It loves me, it loves me not: SJSU’s Wi-Fi experience

by Nate Morotti

SJSU’s Wi-Fi system and I have always had a love-hate relationship.

The experience of interacting with it is somewhat akin to finding out that you got food poisoning from your favorite restaurant: Everything is fine and dandy until something hits the wrong spot, whether it is food or a wireless Internet .

Overall, using the school wireless network is not a bad experience.

It’s fast, reliable, and as long as you remember your student number and password it’s easy to gain access to.

Probably the biggest benefit of using the campus wifi is the fact that almost every building on campus has their own set of wireless routers inside them, allowing almost uniform reception throughout the facilities.

Then you hit a dead zone.

In my experience dead zones on campus are few and far apart, such as the main office of Tower Hall or a certain Clark Hall classroom.

But that doesn’t stop them from being so amazingly rage-inducing that it seems like the world is out to get you, especially when you’re in class at 7:30 a.m. and all you want to do is check to see whether you have a test that day.

The one thing about the campus wireless system that has been consistently off-putting to is that it’s not available anywhere past the first floor of any of the Campus Village buildings.

This might be one of the most ingenious marketing ideas the school has ever had.

Restrict the campus-wide high speed internet while making students who live here use the slowest internet possible, and then if they want a high speed connection, make them either leave their building or purchase an upgrade for $24.99 per month.

That is a genius idea befitting a Bond villain.

Spartan Daily roundup of the protests in Egypt

Compiled by Ron Gleeson

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XnhHzs91MY&has_verified=1

from Associated Press Video

A man was shot as he and other anti-government activists run from Egyptian military following protests outside the capital of Cairo. Damage was sustained to places of business, homes and cars.

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xWiBCIxjIk

from Russia Today

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets of Cairo in an attempt to end Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year reign. Protesters charged at police in great numbers, forcing them to use riot shield, batons, tear gas and rubber bullets to fight off the crowds.

3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12351831

from BBC News

Supporters of Mubarak hit the streets of Cairo to protest against his removal from office, chanting phrases such as “He will not leave.” They called for the national military to claim their responsibilities and stand in front of the anti-government riots.

4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12351955

from BBC News

Petrol bombs thrown by protesters at the military as chaos in Cairo reigned through the night.

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpcO2xTx-jM&NR=1&feature=fvwp

from Russia Today

Smoke covers the night streets of Cairo, Egypt, as protesters attempt to overthrow Mubarak. The protesters defied government orders for a curfew which would have helped alleviate the damage done during the night.

6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phFd-Kgd7rg&feature=related

from Russia Today

Anti-government protesters aid fellow injured protesters as they continue to strive toward ending Mubarak’s 30-year reign in Egypt. Bloodied protesters were shown being carried away from the protest in the wake of another violent clash.

7. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201122124446797789.html

from Al Jazeera English

Thousands of protesters mass in Tahrir Square in Cairo, the new center of the anti-government regime. Pro-democracy and Mubarak supporters clashed in massive quarrels throughout the city.

Going from staff writer to editor in a college newspaper

By Kelsey Lynne Lester-Perry

My first semester at SJSU was absolutely insane to say the least. I was an undeclared student taking nothing but 12 units of major courses, which I will still be doing next semester actually.

I transferred as a junior from De Anza where I was the managing editor of La Voz Weekly. I had been involved in journalism since my sophomore year of high school and I thought I could handle being a staff writer for the Spartan Daily.

I was half right.

This semester I have had 33 stories due for the Daily. I have had 10 total multimedia projects due in all of my classes. I have had more tests and quizzes than I care to think about. And you know what? I have done it all.

I’ve pulled through with a smile, a few sleepless nights and the ability to maintain stable relationships with my family, friends and bartender.

On top of that, I was actually crazy enough to apply for a three-unit editor position next semester along with 12 other units — a total of 15 units.

You are now reading a blog post by the Spartan Daily’s newest production and features editor.

I am so excited for my new responsibility. I am excited for new opportunities. I am most excited, however, about meeting the new staff of writers. I want to hang out with them during happy hour at Flames. I want to work long hours helping put together awesome features packages.

I have only gotten to know a few of my editors this semester very well. They know who they are, and they know I love them. There have been a few of them, however, that I could have surely done without meeting. They were cliquey, uppity, rude and they never took the time to get to know me or half of the other staff writers.

So, new writers, if you are reading this — I am so looking forward to meeting you and developing a relationship with you.

And to the rest of my lovely editors, thanks for everything and let’s do it big in Spring 2011.

Being part of millions of people at the San Francisco Giants Parade

By Husain Sumra

During the festivities of the San Francisco Giants World Series victory parade, closer Brian Wilson said he felt like he was having a mini heart attack.

Why? He said it was either because of the electricity from the crowd or that the city “smelled like Prop. 19.”

That’s only part of the experience, because the parade was more like the smell of Prop. 19 mixed with alcohol and sweat, sprinkled with pure joy and ecstacy, shaken up and splashed on your face.

I’ve never seen that many people in the same place at the same time, and I’ve been to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

My journey started at 8 a.m., when I woke up, which may have been too late.

All the Caltrains were delayed, but there was one every 15 minutes or so. As soon as anyone got near a machine to buy a ticket, passengers dressed in Giants garb would quickly run over and yell, “stop! It’s free today!”

The trains were packed with Giants fans crammed together and chanting. Many had copies of the San Francisco Chronicle, which had the headline “Believe It!” on the front.

Beer was another popular option on the train as many people had cans of Budweiser in brown paper bags.

Because of this, drunks were a fairly frequent sight, hobbling and bumbling all over the place, particularly when we arrived in San Francisco at around 10:30 a.m.

Getting around the city wasn’t hard, as hundreds of fans were walking to the same place, Market Street, to get into good position to see the World Champions.

Wait, let me rephrase that: Navigating around the city wasn’t hard, but moving around was.

Walking around was like being a grain of sand squeezing through the bottleneck of an hourglass.

Once we got to our location, just off of Market Street, we were stuck behind about 75 people. Upon seeing the amount of people I began to wish that I had woken up much, much earlier.

I’ve never been close to that many people in my life before. There was someone less than a centimeter to the front, left, right and back of me. I could barely lift my camera above my head to get a picture.

I didn’t even know what I was taking pictures of. I just clicked and hoped I got something worthwhile.

The motorized cable cars, bands and everything else came slowly.

In between cars there would be throngs of women claiming they were pregnant to get to the front of the line, and plenty of verbal fights between people who brushed past each other.

The hot, unforgiving San Francisco sun bore down on us and cooked everyone like a well-done steak, but it was worth it.

The feeling of seeing the Giants celebrate the victory was powerful.

Knowing that thousands upon thousands of people had gathered because of the love for their team was powerful.

Often, people are separated by class, race, religion and even age.

Yesterday people from all areas of the Bay Area united in San Francisco to celebrate the San Francisco Giants first World Series in only their second victory parade in the City by the Bay.

Covering the “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear”

By Kevin Hume

I traveled to Washington D.C. for the first time in my life to cover Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” with a fellow journalist friend.

After spending Friday being a tourist and taking in the beautiful sights of our nation’s capital, I was then overwhelmed by being one person in an estimated crowd of 215,000 people on Saturday.

With my audio recorder in my pocket, headphones and camera around my neck and my video camera on a tripod by my side, I seemed prepared to capture anything.

In reality, I had no idea where to start and what to capture.

After a short amount of time considering all the signs and people around me, I slowly made my way through the crowd collecting footage and interviews with my friend.

And then, as they always seem to do, things fell right into place.

Once the rally began, I mostly became an observer and enjoyed the show Stewart and Colbert had put together, laughing and cheering.

I even had some pleasant conversations with a few of the strangers I was standing next to in the crowd.

The rally concluded at 3 p.m., and after seven hours of work, I was beat.

Until, that is, I saw Arianna Huffington, political pundit and co-founder of “The Huffington Post.”

My friend and I immediately began jockeying for position to try and interview her.

After several starts and misfires, we both got her on the record and shook her hand.

After compiling all the photos, video and interview audio, I spent much of Halloween editing, even on the plane coming home.

And now, after it all is over, I feel a great sense of satisfaction, pride and relief.

I spent quite a bit of money to go out there and I am very glad that it did not go to waste.

Tonight’s tidbits: 2010 Halloween in San Jose edition

By Jen Nowell

Wicked Trilogy at Kaama Lounge

Kaama Lounge will host its weekend-long Halloween event, “Wicked Trilogy,” Oct. 29-31. The weekend’s events include “Black Friday,” a black attire evening; “Inhibition,” a masquerade ball on Saturday; and “Exhibition,” a costume event on Halloween night.

The Lounge is located at 385 South Winchester Blvd. in San Jose. On Friday and Saturday, the events are from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m to 12 a.m. Kaama Lounge will provide food and drink specials and no cover is required for entry to any of the events.

Flashlight Tours at the Winchester Mystery House

The Winchester Mystery House will provide fun for all ages on Halloween night with flashlight tours and other special holiday events. Twenty-two 65-minute tours will run from 6:35 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and trick-or-treating will take place in the outside gardens.

Flashlights will be provided for the tour, but bring your imagination for a night of fright in the haunted house. Tickets for the tour are $45. The Winchester House is located at 525 South Winchester Blvd.

The Retro Domes Movie Series

On Halloween weekend, the Retro Dome will be playing “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” the singalong experience. On Friday and Saturday, the movie starts at 7 p.m. and Sunday it starts at 4 p.m. Follow Charlie Bucket and Grandpa Joe as they visit the mysterious chocolate factory owned by Willy Wonka.

Sunday night, the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” will be playing at 9 p.m. It will finish off the weekend festivities at the Retro Dome, located at 1694 Saratoga Ave. in San Jose. Price for tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students.

‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ at Camera 3

A live performance by Barely Legal will bring the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” to the audience at Camera 3 Cinemas, for only $10. The show will start at midnight at 288 Second St. in San Jose.

This will mark the 35th anniversary of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” A costume contest and prizes will be part of the night’s events.

‘Eyes Wide Shut’ at Fahrenheit Lounge

The Lounge, located at 99 East San Fernando St. in downtown San Jose, will host a special Halloween event, featuring DJ Sal. You must 21 or over to attend “Eyes Wide Shut” and the cover charge is $20.

Fright Nite 9 at Club Rodeo Rio

Thursday, Oct. 28, at 9 p.m., Club Rodeo Rio will be hosting one of the largest costume parties in the area. Located at 610 Coleman Ave. in San Jose, you must be at least 18 to enter and a fully stocked bar is available for those 21 and over.

A costume is required for entrance — no costume means no entrance. Special Halloween decorations will adorn Club Rio’s 2 rooms and 5 dance floors. Come early to secure your spot on the dance floor.

Tonight’s Tidbits: Chair Yoga and SJSU’s Symphonic Band should bring stress relief during midterms

By Calli Perez

As this dreaded week of midterms comes to an end, SJSU aids students in relieving stress in the days to come.

On Thursday, Oct. 21, loosen up with some Chair Yoga at the Student Union from 12-1 p.m. and learn some exercises you can do in the office while sitting at your desk — or in a classroom for that matter.

Later that night the SJSU Symphonic Band Concert will be held in the SJSU Music building Concert Hall from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

A concert is a great way to relax, forget about midterms for a few hours and simply let the music take you away.

On Saturday, Oct. 23, SJSU will battle Fresno State starting with women’s volleyball at 1 p.m. in the Spartan Gym and later with football at 5 p.m. in Spartan Stadium.

Support SJSU in defeating Fresno State, reinforcing to our rivals that “This is Sparta!”

Regain your energy with a carb overload on Sunday, Oct. 24, at the SJSU International House’s Pancake Breakfast from 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

A visit to the International House should be a great opportunity to learn about different cultures and meet your peers from foreign lands.

As the school week commences again, on Tuesday, Oct. 26, learn how to de-stress at “Stressin’ Out” in Health Building room 208 from 12-1 p.m. or learn which major is right for you at the “Choosing a Major Workshop” in the Career Center, from 12-1:15 p.m.

Reporter’s notebook: Bill Clinton at SJSU makes a college reporter feel like a small fish in a big pond

By Jaimie Collins

Journalism is about stretching your comfort zone until it almost bursts. If you’re too scared, nervous or reserved to put yourself out there, you’re never going to make it in the real world.

As a journalist just getting my start, I felt extremely intimidated when I decided to take a story covering the visit of former President Bill Clinton, Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom to SJSU.

With no previous experience to draw from, I was worried about covering an event of such size and importance. I found myself in a sea of journalists and as I milled through the crowd making small talk with representatives from CBS, NBC and ABC, I felt out the competition and tried my best to appear as professional as possible.

I started out nervous and unsure of myself but quickly realized that an event like this can do wonders for my portfolio and my career. Being able to show off an article covering the former President of the United States is something that could make my experience more valuable to future employers. It was also a wonderful opportunity to network with professionals in my field and get the inside scoop on what life is like post-graduation.

As the event ended at 8:30 p.m. with the story due that night for the next morning’s paper, I experienced the importance of managing my time efficiently while creating a well-written, well-sourced article. With help from my editors, I managed to whip out the story within two hours and made it home before midnight.

More than anything, covering this story gave me an alternate perspective on the big leagues of writing and reporting and what exactly I’m getting myself into.

After finishing and publishing this piece, I feel just a tad more prepared for what awaits me in the journalism world. It was a once in a lifetime experience that I will appreciate for as long as I choose to continue writing.

Tonight’s tidbits: President Clinton visits SJSU and Spartan football takes on Fresno after loss to Boise

By Alex Spicer

Following a week filled to the brim with big events, SJSU returns to a relative level of normalcy.

Influential speakers were in abundance last week, featuring campus visits by the Dalai Lama and Michael Moore, plus Sarah Palin speaking at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts in downtown San Jose.

But this upcoming week might be as star-studded as last week with former President Bill Clinton; State Attorney General Jerry Brown; and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom arriving on campus Sunday night from the campaign trail.

After Sunday, there will be plenty of events taking place on campus to check out throughout the rest of the week.

First-generation students who are having trouble talking with their parents about the challenges of being a college student will want to drop by Room 118 in Clark Hall on Tuesday at 12 p.m. The workshop teaches students how to effectively communicate with their parents so that students can receive support and share experiences throughout their educational journey.

Do you have a hard time saying “no” or asking for help? Is it difficult for you to express your feelings, thoughts or beliefs openly and honestly? If the answer to these questions is “yes,” then you may want to check out a workshop designed to help students’ self-esteem and self-confidence when expressing themselves to others. Students who want to learn to stand up for themselves will want to be at Room 118 in Clark Hall on Thursday at 12 p.m.

For additional information on either workshop, students may contact Deanna Peck at deannapeck@sjsu.edu.

The Spartan football team (1-6) will look to bounce back from a tough 48-0 home defeat to No. 3-ranked Boise State, as they host the Fresno State Bulldogs (4-2) at 8 p.m. on Saturday in Spartan Stadium. The Spartans face another difficult opponent in the Bulldogs and will need a victory to climb out of the cellar in the WAC standings. Tickets for current SJSU students are free with a valid Tower Card.

Halfway through the 2010 Fall semester

By Kenny Martin

When I was on my community college’s school newspaper, my adviser would always ask me “How are you feeling/doing, now that we are midway through the semester?” So it is fitting that I am writing this blog now.

My experience with the Spartan Daily has been a mixed bag of emotions.

It has definitely been demanding, as I am used to production happening once every two weeks as opposed to four times a week. The workload is manageable, but it requires that you constantly grind through your work, never resting. You have to continually keep chipping away at your workload to prevent it from becoming unmanageable.

I have certainly learned many things from the Spartan Daily. I now realize the importance of looking for stories around campus. Because I haven’t been doing this, I am forced to accept the stories that the editors come up with, and they usually come up with little that interests me.

It is infinitely harder to write a story that doesn’t interest you than one that fascinates you.

I want to take my own pictures for my stories, but a huge obstacle for me to overcome is equipment. The camera that I own, especially when it comes to sports, is substandard.

It isn’t just the technology, though. There is an art to taking photos, and it requires a lot of planning and time to get even one good photo. Because I am so swamped with my story load, homework and bowling, I don’t have the time, energy or attention needed to seek photos.

It is a really hard thing to be on a daily paper, because, as the journalists’ motto goes: deadline comes before everything else — even quality.

I have been used to having two weeks to really do a good job on two to three stories, but now that period has been reduced to mere days. Fortunately, the editors have been really patient with me thus far, but I don’t know how much longer I’ll be allowed to stretch deadlines for the sake of thoroughness.

I think that I will be able to scrape through the semester, but it won’t be easy and it will require, as Mad-Eye Moody from the Harry Potter series would say, “Constant vigilance.”