SCI-TECH
The ABCs of the MIS By Andre Karl S. Faculin
E
ver wondered how pieces of information in the University travel in split seconds? Have you imagined how grades and account balances are organized? Or have you figured out the way by which the University manages thousands of records everyday while maintaining order and confidentiality? Sending information from Mendel Hall to Herrera Hall is made easy by the Management Information System (MIS). The MIS ser ves as the information superhighway of the University, turning raw information on paper into a
pixilated, digitalized form. According to MIS Director Rev. Fr. Pederito Aparece, the MIS is “a system that provides the information needed to manage the University efficiently and effectively.” The MIS is the power that analyzes the systems applied in operational activities within the University. Establi shed in 2002, the MIS is analogous to the Universit y ’s Information Technolog y section. The software was originally created by former MIS director, Atty. Rey Ejes. Aparece says that the MIS has the sole responsibility of ensuring the accessibility of colleges and departments to the
Photo by KRISTINE LOUISE L. ANDRADE
MIS Page 6
By Ayah Danica V. Granada and Mia Rose V. Emboltura
SPECTACLE
Cheating Death
Photo courtesy of WARNER BROS.
D
eath decides how, and fate decides when. What would you do if you found out just how your life was going to end? A life for a life. What tricks are you willing to execute to escape your predestined fate? The Final Destination movie series, with its first movie released in 2000, is still on a roll. In a span of eleven years, producers have managed to formulate many more gruesome, disastrous and out-of-the- ordinary deaths. In the fifth installation of the Final Destination series, its characters find themselves once again in a race against time - and death. The film begins with a gathering of coworkers for a company retreat. During their bus ride, Sam, one of the employees, becomes anxious about his surroundings as little by little, things start going wrong. The TV screen flickers and the melancholy tune of ‘Dust in the Wind’ plays
on the radio, and he cuts his finger on the seat in front of him. The bridge they’re on collapses and Sam witnesses people falling off the bridge and impaling themselves on the mast of a yacht, getting seared by hot tar, being whipped about by flying support cables, simply drowning to their death, and he himself being speared by a falling bar. Sam wakes up, revealing that all he has seen is merely a vision of a bridge collapsing. He warns his col leag ues about the misfortune that awaits them. Later though, his vision turns into a reality in which everyone dies except the eight members of their company. And just like the four previous movies, the film follows a formula: main character has more premonitions, the survivors of a massive catastrophe meet and discuss their fate as they realize they are all meant to die. Each time the lead character tries to figure out a way to make an
exception to death’s arbitrary rules, he fails anyway. As the fifth installment in the popular series, this film disappoints by not bringing anything new to the story. Someone who’s been following the series since the first movie sees no continuity for it follows the same plot formula - the only difference is that each character’s death scenario is more gruesome than the one before it. The fatal events are either disturbing, funny (yes, that’s true!), shocking, or a mix of the three. The special effects are excellent, particularly in the scenes showing a beheading , dissecting , squishing , crushing , and roasting. Just like in the previous chapters, this film employs the foreshadowing technique to show how the characters will die, though it has raised the suspense and unpredictability factors to a much higher level. For those who prefer inspirational, cheesy movies FINAL DESTINATION Page 6