The Battalion: July 19, 2010

Q:

thebattalionasks

Would you rather read from an electronic device or a book?

A book. I like the smell.

Books are more distraction free.

Jess Gantt, sophomore communication and Spanish major

Sushanth Gouni, sophomore biology major

A book. It’s the legit way to read.

A book. Staring at screens hurts my eyes.

Pulkit Moudgil, sophomore political science major

Klarissa Tijerina, senior psychology major

Tyler Hosea — THE BATTALION

thebattalion

news for you texas Muslim merchant faces accusation Sajid Master, owner of Perfume Planet in Houston, has been facing harassment for being an alleged alQaida sympathizer after posting a sign at his shop during Ramadan explaining the store would be closed Sept. 11 to remember the death of Imam Ali, a sacred Muslim figure. Ali died in 661 A.D. and was not related to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

● monday,

july 19, 2010

● serving

texas a&m since 1893

● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2010 student media

technology

Bedtime reading

2.0

Digital books compete with traditional paper and ink

Oil spill threatens shrimp season Texas shrimpers concerned about the BP oil spill are preparing for what could be a shaky season.

The commercial brown shrimp season opened on Thursday night, but state waters could close if oil spreads to Texas.

lowest gas price

$2.49 Kroger at 2412 Texas Ave. and Southwest Pkwy. www.texasgasprices.com

Jorge Montalvo — THE BATTALION

nation &world Hamas restrict women’s rights Gaza’s Hamas rulers have banned women from smoking water pipes in cafes, calling it a practice that destroys marriages and sullies the image of the Palestinian people. The ban marks the Islamist militant group’s latest effort to impose their Muslim lifestyle in the seaside strip on a frequently resistant public.

F

irst, there was the revolutionary printing press, launching a widespread campaign for literacy. Several centuries later, the written word is undergoing another radical transformation, this time aligning with contemporary society’s insatiable desire for portability and interactivity. Reading digital books on devices such as the Kindle or iPad might be gaining popularity, but traditional bibliophiles insist an illuminated screen doesn’t stack up to the sentimental value of a personal — that is to say, physical — library collection.

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see story on page 2

science

music

A flawless performance

Museum works to get shuttle The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History is working to bring one of NASA’s retired space shuttles to the area. Project Director Zach Cummings started the petition to bring the shuttle to the Brazos Valley, one of two locations being considered in state.

“The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History is involved in a campaign to bring one of the retired shuttle orbiters to the Brazos Valley,” said Deborah Cowman, executive director of the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History.

“The Museum’s dream is to display the magnificent shuttle in a new Museum of Science

Politics as usual: Episode VI: Return of the Podcast

Hear Richard Creecy and Ian McPhail discuss the Blagojevich scandal. James Cavin checks in from Florida.

and History.”

Bringing the shuttle to Brazos Valley could help the tourism economy and Texas A&M University.

“Texas A&M University is a world-renowned research university with outstanding science and engineering programs and is a leader in developing and finding practical applications for new technologies,” Cowman said. “The addition of a research museum in the Brazos Valley would promote multi-disciplinary research and provide See Shuttle on page 2

research

Professors help digitize health care Tyler Hosea — THE BATTALION

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◗ IBooks and electronic downloads are the way of the future, but every technological advancement comes with a trade-off. Megan Ryan shares the advantages and disadvantages of iBooks.

Austin Meek | The Battalion

Staff and wire reports

On thebatt.com

Applying the iBook

Ajae James, singer for Flawless Escape, and Scott Willson, geosciences graduate student and lead guitarist for the band, perform at the Stafford as part of MTV’s Twitter Jockey contest.

The challenge was for contestant Elizabethany to discover and promote an up-and-coming band.

Three A&M professors are working to change the face of the medical field. Arun Sen, information and operations management professor is working with Dr. Robert Morrow of the Texas A&M Health Science Center and industrial engineering professor Amarnath Banerjee to create a digitized health care information resource to improve patient care.

The team received a $5.2 million grant from the federal government in April to develop one of

the four Regional Extension Centers appointed to the state of Texas. The project is a joint effort between Mays Business School, the Texas A&M Health Science Center Rural and Community Health Institute and the Dwight Look College of Engineering.

“President Obama wanted 60 different centers throughout the country and pushed in almost $6 billion into these centers,” Sen said.

See Health care on page 2

7/18/10 4:58 PM

Pregnant?

Need answers?

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4501 Wellborn Rd., 1 mile north of Kyle Field

TAKE A PIECE OF A&M HISTORY WITH YOU · Reserve your 2011 Aggieland The 109th edition of Texas A&M University’s official yearbook will chronicle traditions, academics, the other education, sports, the Corps, Greeks, campus organizations and seniors and graduate students.

Distribution will be during Fall 2011. Cost is $64.90, including shipping and sales tax. Go to the optional services box in Howdy when you register for fall. For info, call 845-2613.

thebattalion THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893

Sports Museum

The Texas A&M Sports Museum features rotating exhibits on the history of Aggie Sports. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at Kyle Field.

979-695-9193

Double Quick

1

Today 40% chance of thunderstorms High: 92 Low: 76

University Sanders Summer Corps Center Performance Series Exhibits

2

3

The Killdares blend traditional Celtic playing skills, power-pop accessibility, and straight up rock ‘n’ roll hooks. They will be playing from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center.

Tickets can be purchased through the MSC Box Office.

The displays at the Corps of Cadets Center offer an overview of Aggie traditions and the history of the Corps of Cadets. The exhibit is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday in the Sanders Corps of Cadets Center.

Tuesday 20% chance of thunderstorms high: 93 low: 76 Wednesday 30% chance of thunderstorms high: 94 low: 76 Thursday 30% chance of thunderstorms high: 95 low: 76

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thebattalion 07.19.2010 For daily updates go to thebatt.com ● Facebook ● Twitter@thebattonline

technology

Research shows digital books take longer to read Austin Meek The Battalion E-books, iBooks, digital books, the Kindle and the Nook are some of the latest ways to replace page-turning physical books.

Effusive praise has been heaped on both e-readers by critics worldwide, but the question remains: are they easy to read?

The Nielsen Norman Group, a consulting firm based in Fremont, Calif. recently conducted a usability survey for both the iPad and the Kindle.

“We had subjects read short stories on the devices,” said Hoa Loranger, director at the Nielsen Norman Group.

The study found that reading speeds declined by 6.2 percent on the iPad and 10.7 percent on the Kindle compared to print. However, Loranger said the differences in reading speed between the two devices were not statistically significant because not enough information is known about either device.

Nonetheless, the study shows that traditional reading is faster than using an electronic reader. And it’s much faster than reading on a computer screen, which slows down the process by about 25 percent.

“I like reading on my iPad because it’s so interactive,” said Colton Chojnacki, a junior en-

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Amazon Kindle is one of the many ways digital books can be purchased and read. gineering technology major.

“You can highlight a word and look up its definition while you’re reading, you can bookmark multiple places, you can even write notes.”

Still, many people prefer traditional books because of the sentimental value — the fact that they’re holding a portion of history in their hands.

“I love walking into a person’s house and seeing all the books on their shelves,” said Elizabeth Brumbaugh, a finance graduate student. “We’re losing pieces of the past the further along with technology we go.”

Brumbaugh has books passed down from her grandfather and said she values these curios of family history.

Lauren Brooks, a junior biology major, said she appreciates the Kindle for its functionality but would prefer an e-reader in certain situations.

“My dad travels for a lot for work and has a Kindle,” Brooks said. “He loves it because he can load all the books he wants on something that’s smaller than his laptop. I’d be fine if we went to e-books for pleasure reading, but I’d never want to have a textbook in

that form.”

Not all students are interested in the possibilities of e-readers.

“I’ve never used an iPad or a Kindle,” said Melanie Starling, a junior marketing major.

“I’m really happy with just reading normally.”

Regardless of personal preference, electronic readers are here, and they’re here to stay.

“I think that the results from the study show that the future for e-books is very bright,” Loranger said. “Technology is getting better, screen resolution is getting more refined and prices are being reduced.”

Vicky Flores, Editor in Chief Megan Ryan, Managing Editor Rebecca Bennett, Page One Editor David Harris, Sports/Lifestyles Editor Ian McPhail, Opinion Editor Evan Andrews, Graphics Chief THE BATTALION (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University. Periodicals Postage Paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, Texas A&M University, 1111 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1111.

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whereoncampus Think you know every nook and cranny at Texas A&M? The first people to get the answer correct will have their names published.

Send your response with your name, class and major to photo@ thebatt.com.

Correct response: Tyler Hosea— THE BATTALION

Alex Coleman, senior environmental design major

Shuttle

Health care

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

a center to enhance science literacy for the general public.

The Brazos Valley is also an ideal home for a space shuttle because of its central location.

It would place a shuttle centrally in the U.S. within a comfortable drive for millions of people.

A project of this magnitude also creates jobs and opportunities.”

The museum and NASA representatives are in negotiations, and Charles Bolden, one of NASA’s administrators, will make the final decision.

The focus of the Regional Extension Centers is to educate physicians about electronic health records. The federal government’s goal is to create a paperless health care system, making medical records available at a state and national level, not just individual offices.

“We educate physicians to get them into the technological age,” Sen said. “There is a learning curve with physicians, which is where we come in. If the physicians are not using [computerized healthcare systems] or not using them well by 2015 the government will lower their Medicare and Medicaid pay.”

Sen and his colleagues are working on the development of the CentrEast Regional Extension Centers. This center is responsible for the region from Austin to the Louisiana border.

This project was implemented when Obama passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The legislation included the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, which gives criteria for the improvement of health information technology in an effort to improve the health care system.

Jessica Funke, staff writer

Gayle Gabriel, staff writer

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Cain Park

7/18/10 4:32 PM

voices

page 4 monday 7.19.2010

thebattalion

Reading beyond the lines A

late night of boredom and curiosity led me to download the iBook application, making my iPhone an e-book reader. Every technological improvement has its advantages and quirks; and after finishing several chapters, I decided on a list of pros and cons regarding this new craze.

Let’s start with is an escape from the the biggest con: real world, but the real these things are world can’t help but expensive. Every interrupt the iBook. iBook costs about Over the phone, text the same as a messages pop up in regular book you the middle of a page, can hold in your the dinging tone of an Megan Ryan e-mail interrupts the hands, only you can’t hold it in senior English silence, and someone major, managing can easily call and your hands. editor disturb an otherwise Reading an electronic book perfect paragraph. also requires the patience to However, there are some read on another screen. As exciting advantages to the students, most of us scroll iBooks, especially as the techthrough computer screens nology continues to develop. I all day, so reading an iBook can always have it with me, and takes away the pleasure of I will never be bored. the pages. Plus, if you The iBook is more read before going to comfortable to hold Using iBooks bed, looking at the than an actual has advantages bright light makes book because you as well as it difficult to get only need one its own to sleep. hand to hold it inconveniences. and to turn the Another related complaint is you pages. You can be can’t feel the pages propped up on one you’ve read beneath your arm or have an arm behind fingers, so the sense of turning your head without needing to pages and moving forward move it every time you need isn’t as obvious. to turn a page.

While convenience is a draw Buying a book becomes a for downloading books, you lot easier without the hassle of can’t really share iBooks or bor- searching through a store. If row them from a friend. Unless I want to read something, it you can live without your doesn’t matter where I am — I phone for a few days, sharing a just go to the iBooks store on good book with someone is out my phone, browse the selecof the question. tions and find the ones I want.

One problem with iBooks No need to hop in the car and is that I am reading a book on drive to the bookstore. Books my phone. Normally, reading are literally at my fingertips.

Courtesy Photo

This application can be very useful for reference books, especially as a student. There’s no need to carry a stack of books or anthology around for an essay because they can all be stored in your phone.

The iBook application itself is free, so it’s worth playing around with. While I don’t want to get rid of physical books altogether, having a book stored in my phone every now and then is worth the cost and the cons.

EDITOR’SNOTE The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants in this paper do not necessarily reflect those of Texas A&M University, The Battalion or its staff.

MAILCALL GUESTCOLUMNS Make your opinion known by submitting Mail Call or guest columns. Mail call must be fewer than 200 words and include the author’s name and classification.

Guest columns must be fewer than 700 words. All submissions become property of The Battalion and are subject to editing. Direct all correspondence to: Editor in chief of The Battalion (979) 845-3315 | mailcall@thebatt.com

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