Why Fortnite is Probably the Worst Thing to Ever Happen
By Thornton Eis
Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of the relatively popular title, “Fortnite.” While it is popular, is it truly all that great? Today, I shall answer this question by saying the following; Fortnite is, and always will be, a dumb and downright repetitive game. Let’s look at the reasons I have come up with.
Disclaimer: This is a very opinionated article. I doubt anyone will agree with me but who cares.
1: Updates.
This may sound odd, but honestly to make updates have actual hype, you can’t release them every week. At this rate, they will run out of things to add and then, either the game will die due to no new updates, or they will resort to adding things that do not fit at all. Besides, making updates that fast must mean the updates have no effort put into them at all. Let’s compare it to the game that I’m sure everybody thinks is dead, Minecraft. The updates take longer because they A: have more content, B: are much better, and C: have actual effort put in to them. For example, Minecraft 1.13 overhauled the Minecraft oceans, added monsters that swoop down and kill you if you haven’t slept in a while, not to mention many technical changes that could take up a whole book. Minecraft 1.14 is adding pandas, and, let’s face it, they’re adorable. It is adding bamboo, scaffolding, better villages, pillagers, and the list goes on. Minecraft updates give amazing new things that make the game so much better, Fortnite upates are like, “Oh boy another useless skin to waste all my mom’s credit card on!”
2: Limitations.
Aside from Save the World and the dumb unoriginal custom modes, there is just good ol’ jump off a bus and kill everyone mode. Minecraft, on the other hand, has unlimited possibilities. You could recreate Fortnite almost entirely, all within Minecraft. Try recreating almost every function of Minecraft in Fortnite, I would love to see it. Of course, I never will see it because you can’t. You can pretty much make anything in Minecraft. Not in Fortnite though.
3: Youtube
Just read this to see that Minecraft is, in fact, still bigger on Youtube. See here.
4: Texture packs
In Fortnite, unless you can figure out how to edit the game files, it will always look the same. In Minecraft computer, or Java, edition, there is a button to access the texture pack folder. In Minecraft bedrock, basically everything but the computer edition, it only takes a few clicks and you’re done!
5: Hypocrites
Back in 2016, everybody was playing Minecraft. Now, in 2018, everybody acts like they never played Minecraft. This has nothing to do with Fortnite but I wanted to include this because It is the truth.
6: IR
Try making your IR project in Fortnite. I made mine in Minecraft because it has all the tools I need. (I can build a set, capture a 3rd person perspective, all that stuff)
7: Being yourself
Skins are the way your character looks. You can look like anything in Minecraft without paying at all. What about Fortnite? Skins bought with an in-game currency, that in-game currency bought with real money. The skins are predetermined. You only have a certain number of things you can be.
8: Community
In Minecraft, servers such as Hypixel, CubeCraft, and Mineplex let anyone join to play hundreds of different minigames. On Fortnite, no communities are formed because there are no player-hosted servers.
Those are all my reasons. Hope you agree. You won’t though. At least, I think so. But you should. Because I am right.
-Thornton ‘That kid who stills play Minecraft’ Eis
Movie Review: Venom
By Nicholas Kutzin
I know Venom is not even close to being as good as Infinity War or Black Panther, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. I thought Venom was witty and funny. I was very surprised by the critic reviews after I saw this movie. I think so many people compared it to other Marvel movies to get their movie rating for this. Personally, I found this movie was quite good compared to other Marvel movies, so I give it an 88.6 out of 100. It was a funny and at times, a little nerve-racking. It was kind of like a kid’s horror movie. (Spoilers) My favorite scene was the elevator scene where Venom calls Eddy Brock a not-so-nice, but hilarious name. Whoever voiced the Vemon Symbiote has some serious skills. I really liked the ending where Venom turns out to be alive and inside of Brock. I also liked the villain, Drake, also known as Riot. He was smart, evil, and powerful. He has the three characteristics that make a villain. My favorite character had to be Carnage. He was in the end credits scene. In case you don’t know Brock interviewed, Clitus Cassidy, who is Carnage. Woody Harrelson (I hope I’m spelling that right) did an amazing job as Carnage. He was perfectly sadistic and evil. Thanks for reading! This is just my opinion. I hope you enjoyed! 🙂
My Infinity War Theory
By Marcus Kutzin
(Spoiler Alert)
Some of you know, Marvel is creating a 2nd infinity war supposedly called Avengers Anhilation. My theory for that movie may be different from other peoples, this is just my theory.
My theory is that Thanos will realize how much he lost during this event. His “Children” or Ebony Mau, Corvas Glade, Proxima Midnight, and Cull Obsidian, or Black Dwarf. And even Gamora. RIP. And will reverse the effects he has done, with the reality or time stone. My evidence for this theory is those who saw the movie might remember the end scene when Thanos is a what looks like a red or bloody world. There is a little child or toddler Gomora who comes up to Thanos and asks him, “Did you do it?” Thanos replies with “Yes” then Gomora asks, “What did it cost?” And Thanos says “Everything” with a tear in his eye. Which makes me believe that he will regret everything he's done and undo most if not all of it. He might either leave it like that or try again, now that he knows what to do. He will attempt to do so without losing as much that he loves.
Dungeons & Dragons
by Henry Millman
This rather old role-playing game is making a comeback. Published in 1974, the fantasy roleplaying game was created by Gary Gygax. The gameplay is a bit like a “Choose your own adventure” book, with a slightly more interactive style and more complex rules. The players each create a character, like in some video games, with one of the classes, fighter, rouge, paladin, barbarian, warlock, wizard, sorcerer, druid, monk, or ranger. Each class has different skills and abilities, and these are also affected by the chosen race, which, aside from human, can be one of many different magical races, such as gnome, elf, dwarf, or even dragon-born, a cross between human and dragon. The players roleplay their characters in a fantasy adventure narrated by the dungeon master, who acts as an impartial judge who roleplays whatever fantastic beasts the characters encounter, as well as informing the players of their surroundings and effects of their efforts.
For a time, the game became less popular, the pastime of nerds alone, but became rediscovered by some watching the recent Netflix series, Stranger Things, which features the game somewhat, and uses a name from the game for one of its primary creatures, “the Demogorgon,” although this is a slight misconception, since the game’s creature is a demon and Demogorgon is a name, not a species, which would make the proper usage simply Demogorgon.
Top 10 Animated Movies
By Nicholas Kutzin
1: Tangled- It's just plain amazing
2: The Lego Movie- The funniest movie ever
3: Frozen- Great Animation
4: The Lego Batman Movie- Second sunniest movie
5: Moana- Best twists and storyline
6: The Little Mermaid- The best villain and good characters
7: Aladdin- The funniest Disney character (Genie)
8: Sing- Amazing singing
9: The Great Mouse Detective- Great mystery for kids
10: The Nightmare before Christmas- Creepy and fun
Top 10 Things to Watch on Netflix
1: Glee
2: The Flash
3: Arrow
4: Moana
5: Sing
6: Stranger Things
7: Riverdale
8: Gotham
9: Supergirl
10: Fuller House
Michael Jackson
By Nya Pollard
We all know the story of Michael Jackson, but there was more to the man in the mirror then you probably know. Michael Jackson was born Gary, India. He gave his first public performance when he was only five years old. He faced physical and emotinal abuse during unceasing rehearsals. During an interview, he had revealed that his father used to beat him and his brothers with a strap and didn’t regret doing so. Later in his life He’s song “Billy Jean” was named the first song by a black artist on mtv. Over time he got 23 guness awards. And speak of over accomplishing his his album thriller provided to be a worl;d wide hit by selling over 65 million coppies . MJ his sister Janet Jackson were part of the most expensive video ever “Scream” with a whopping expense of $7,000,000. Some oeople wonder what happened to the color of his skin and a lot of rumors have started but the truth is after signing a $5 million deal with Pepsi-Cola, he got severely injured while filming a commercial for them. It caused burns to his face and scalp. When his injuries were getting addressed, he began experimenting with plastic surgery. Later in is interesting life he grew to have three children, one of which he named blanket, burt due to bullying he changed his name to Bigi. Before his death Micheal Jackson was rehearsing for his greatest come back with around 50 shows in London only, sadly this never happened due to his unexpected death this never happened. His death named homicide committed by his personal physician Conrad Robert Murray who had reportedly been administered propofol and two anti anxiety benzodiazepines, lorazepam and midazolam.though it was an involuntary manslaughter he still was supposed to send a sentence of 4 years in prison but due to good behavior they let him out early.
XXXTentacion
By Nafisah Gray
XXXTentacion was born on January 23, 1998 in Plantation, FL. Born Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy was a Rapper. X started to release music to SoundCloud when he got out of the Juvenile detention center, and then his “Look at Me” blew up. “Look at Me” is now certified platinum by Record Industry Association of America. On August 25, 2017 X released his debut album 17, which was number 2 on the US Billboard 200. Then on August 15, 2018 it was certified platinum by Record Industry Association of America. His second album ?, was released March 16, 2018. It debuted at number 1, the album had some great songs that got really good feedback such as “SAD!”, “Moonlight”, and “changes” that all reached the top 20 in the Billboards 200. The album was certified platinum by Record Industry Association of America. On June 24, 2018 he won Best New Hip Hop Artist. For his fans another thing that was popular were his quotes. One of them is “The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from enemies, it comes from those you trust the most”. But sadly, XXXTentacion died from a tragic shot that happened on June 18,2018 at the age of 20. He now has a son named Gekyume Onfroy.
John Lennon
By Isabel Wolgam
An outstanding human named John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 after 30 hours labor. As a child John got expelled from school at the age of 5 for misbehaving. He was raised by is mom’s sister (his aunt) Mimi Smith. Later in life John realized that he had dyslexia. For most of his life John loved Elvis Presley, and he decided to become a rocker after hearing “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis. Without his glasses John was legally blind, but he rarely wore contacts because he as very near sighted. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He was about 5’11” tall and weighed about 165 pounds. John’s favorite color was green because of how much he loved nature. His favorite foods were corn flakes, bread, and vegetarian dishes. He absolutely loved cats and once had 6 at one time. He was shot by Mark David Chapman, and sadly passed away at age 40. He passed away on December 8, 1980.
Whitney Houston
By Isabel Wolgam
Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963. Her full name is Whitney Elizabeth Houston. Her parents got divorced when she was only 4. When she was older she was 5”8, and was a model. Throughout the 1980s she was romantically linked to Randall Cunningham (american football star) and Eddie Murphy (actor). Eddie liked girls who can sing and Whitney liked bad boys. But she married R&B singer Bobby Brown on July 18, 1992. She gave birth to his and her child (daughter) Bobbi Kristina Brown on March 4, 1993. In 2003 her husband was charged with battery assault, she had facial injuries from it. In 2005 she was hospitalized because of “accidental” food poisoning. Whitney underwent 2 drug rehab programs in 2005 and 2006. This is because she couldn’t stand Bobby and the way he treated her while being sober. She divorced him in 2007. She unforgettably passed away on February 11, 2012 at the age of 48 from Coronary Artery Disease.
Vine History
By: Isabel Loyer and Sophie Brassard
What is Vine?
Vine was an app designed for users to create and share short videos for about
six seconds. A Vine was played in a continuous loop, and could be viewed directly on
Twitter’s time line.
The Creation of Vine
Vine was created by three founders: Dom Hofmann, Rus Yusopov and Colin
Kroll in June of 2012. The app was officially launched January 24, 2013.
The Rise to the Top
In just two months after it was officially launched, Vine became the most used
video-sharing app on the online market. With all of the possibilities, over forty million
users were registered. After seeing the great potential in the app, Twitter bought it for an
unbelievable amount of thirty million dollars!
Features that Made It Different from the Rest
As mentioned, the app enabled users to record and save short videos with the
mobile device’s camera. What made it even better was the fact that to record, you had
to touch the screen, which allowed editing on the spot.
Why Vine Died
There were multiple factors that lead to Vine shutting down. First off, it relied of
its creators too much. This meant that popular creators on Vine had to post regularly so
that viewers would come back to the app. Also, more social media apps like Snapchat,
Instagram and YouTube were being created and people were getting drawn to those
instead. In addition, six second videos were getting old. People liked the ten second
videos that the other apps provided, along with the filters that Vine did not have.
Sources:
https://www.wondershare.com/multimedia-tips/vine-history.html
https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-vine-3486082
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=11193719
https://blog.logograb.com/visuals-videos-what-happened-vine/
Evolution of Music
By Peter Dillehay and Hannah Bukleman
1900’s: Jazz music starts to form as well as French piano music
1920’s: show Boat, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein is the first hugely popular musical comedy.
1940’s: Columbia Records introduces the "long playing" vinyl record.
1960’s: the Beatles made the song “I want To Hold Your Hand” is a sensation, igniting the "British invasion." The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, featuring such artists as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Joan Baez, is attended by hundreds of thousands of fans.
1980’s: Michael Jackson releases Thriller; the video becomes a classic. Eight-year-old Britney Spears makes her musical television debut on Star Search
1990’s: Snoop Doggy Dogg’s long-anticipated DoggyStyle becomes the first debut album to enter the Billboard charts at number one. After leaving a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas, a car containing Suge Knight and Tupac Shakur is shot at. Tupac dies from his wound's days later, on September 13. Jay-Z’s popularity skyrockets with the release of his third album, Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life. Eminem’s The Slim Shady is released on Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label and fast becomes a Billboard chart-topper.
2000’S: More than 30 years after breaking up, the Beatles have a chart-topper with the greatest-hits album 1.
The Beatles' lead guitarist George Harrison dies of lung cancer.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers release Stadium Arcadium, a double-album that reaches No. 1 in 26 different countries its first week out.
Several big-name acts return to touring after long hiatuses including The Police and Genesis.