TheBattalion07052012 by The Battalion

Through fire and flames

thebattalion ● thursday,

Joe Terrell: An eyewitness account to history

july 5, 2012

● serving

texas a&m since 1893

Fun-filled Fourth

hen I learned I had been accepted into an internship program with Focus on the Family, a Christian ministry based in Colorado Springs, I had no idea I would be forced to evacuate and embroiled in the middle of the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history.

I had been anticipating a summer full of hiking, rafting and scanning documents. Prior to June 19, the Waldo Canyon fire was nothing more than scant plumes of smoke hovering above the mountains that form the western border of Colorado Springs. It was more of an allergen and sinus irritant than anything else. That changed that Tuesday when the fire unexpectedly flared up and consumed thousands of acres within the span of a few hours. On that fateful Tuesday, I stepped out of my cubicle around 4 p.m. and walked out to the parking lot to get a bottle of water out of my car. We heard reports of fires brewing in the west for several days, but were assured by the authorities that Colorado Springs was in the safe zone. The first thing I noticed upon stepping outside was the light flurries of ash See Fire on page 2

F The Waldo Canyon wildfire burns thousands of acres of land while spreading dangerously close to Colorado Springs on June 19.

ireworks light up the sky during the “I Love America” cel ebration” Wednesday above the George Bush Library and Museum. Music, food, fun and an F-16 flyover are some of the ways to celebrate the occasion. The Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra accompany fireworks with the “1812 Overture” among others.

nation

campus

policy

Colorado fire now under control

Student redefines touch screen

Mandate to affect student health care

Joe Terrell — THE BATTALION

Alec Goetz The Battalion

Camryn Ford

After nearly a month of intense efforts to battle wildfires in Colorado, firefighters have contained most of the blazes, including the deadly Waldo Canyon fire around Colorado Springs. The fires, which have been called the most destructive in the state’s history, have destroyed nearly 350 homes and left at least three people dead. The first fire ignited June 9, and was followed in the weeks after by a number of other blazes, resulting in millions of dollars in damage and the displacement of more than 30,000 people in the state. Senior telecommunication media studies major Joe Terrell, currently in Colorado Springs for an internship, witnessed the devastation firsthand when he was forced to evacuate from his host home after fires came dangerously close. “The fire came within a couple blocks of the house I’m staying in,”

The Battalion Innovative sparks at Texas A&M University’s interface ecology lab are igniting a blazing fire in the world of technology. Zero Touch is on the path to quickly landing itself in commercial usage. Jon Moeller’s voice caught most Aggies off-guard during his recent Best Buy commercial appearance, as he announces, “My name is Jon Moeller. I’m from Texas A&M University. I’m using my laptop to help create a touchscreen out of thin air.” Jon Moeller, graduate student in computer science, and a team of researchers created Zero Touch, a multi-touch sensor frame. “Through classes and various other things, this idea of a flat, thin, transparent multi-touch sensor came about,” Moeller said. Zero Touch works similarly to the touchscreen most people use on a device such as an iPhone or an iPad. However, when you cross the plane of sensors on it, light is blocked from travelling from one LED to another sensor on the frame.

See Colorado on page 2

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Photos by Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION

Trevor Stevens The Battalion

Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION

Jon Moeller, along with a team of researchers, has developed Zero Touch over the past three and a half years. According to Moeller, it does not have to be touched, offering some advantage in touch screen applications, because a person can move more fluidly without having to ensure that their finger is in contact with the screen the entire time. The first major prototype of Zero Touch was published in May 2011. Moeller worked alongside Andruid Kerne, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, on this project for about three and a half years. Kerne said, “There were some methods around that were popular for multi-touch sensing. Most of them involved having projectors behind a screen…. so that’s a really bulky setup. We wanted to get rid of that and be able to work with LCDs because the See Zero Touch on page 4

The U.S. Supreme Court largely upheld President Barack Obama’s health care reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requiring most Americans to purchase heath care. Most students, whether under their parent’s insurance, self- or uninsured, fall under the umbrella of people to be affected by the new health care law. According to the Affordable Care Act, those who don’t comply with the mandate must make a “shared responsibility payment,” according to Chief Justice John Roberts’ written majority opinion. Roberts said the Court could not uphold the “individual mandate” under the premise of Congress’ power to “regulate commerce.” In other words, the Court said Congress can’t force someone to purchase a product. But the Court could enact the bill if the mandate is See Health on page 4

7/5/12 12:15 AM