ector
The
The Voice of NJIT with Magnitude and Direction Since 1924
Students Volunteer for Vaccine Distribution By Alexandra Griffith | Contributing Writer Towards the end of December, Essex County College was vaccinating approximately 150 health care workers and first responders per day. Now, the site is vaccinating more than 600 residents and workers daily. This upward trend is promising and may make this site an extremely efficient center for the COVID-19 relief effort. It also means more volunteers have been necessary to keep the pace up. When Essex County College began its rollout of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, many citizens were eager to get involved and help in any way they could. The Chair of Essex County College’s Department of Nursing, Dr. Gale Gage, asked nursing students at Essex County College if they would be interested in volunteering and many signed up immediately. After last semester ended, a similar request for volunteers was sent to NJIT students in the Honors College, prehealth students and those majoring in biomedical engineering or biology. Snehal Patel, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, said when she received the email with the opportunity to volunteer, she thought, “finally, I can do something useful with my time. This is something good to do to help out the community, especially in Newark where the population is more vulnerable.” Approximately 30 eligible juniors and seniors signed up. Like seemingly everything involved with the vaccine rollout, there was an element of trial and error. The NJIT volunteers were informed at the end of December that their contact information had been sent to the Essex County Health Department. Students were told to be on the lookout for information on start times. Andrew Christ, Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development and Capital Operations at NJIT, kept would-be volunteers informed as he received new correspondence from the county. In mid-January, Christ informed NJIT’s student volunteers that the number of non-medical volunteers was more than the vaccination site could man-
age at the current time. This did not mean that interested students would not be able to volunteer, but it did mean the delay would continue. Finally, in late January, students were given the go-ahead to begin volunteering. For some students, the delay between the initial email and the actual start date of Jan. 25 was frustrating. Because the actual start date was after the Spring 2021 semester had already begun, some students no longer had the free time they initially had during the winter break. In addition, the full day commitment was not possible for those with classes every day of the week, running from January to April 2021. Although this unexpected change was discouraging for some, the zeal for many student volunteers has not wavered. After her first day of volunteering, Nikitha Pappachen, a junior majoring in biology, was excited to be involved and said that she was glad that the NJIT volunteers gave other people, like administrators, peace of mind, knowing that the staff didn’t have to worry about getting everything done themselves. Many of these vaccination sites will still be operating well into the year and perhaps into next. Manoucheka Gilles, the site supervisor at Essex County College, emphasized the importance of volunteers, and how grateful the team was for having an excess of volunteers eager to help. “Volunteers help us so much. Most staff are volunteers and we would not be as successful as we are without them.”
Vol. C | Issue 4 Week of February 15, 2021
Spring Changes to NJIT Dining Services By Yukthi Sangoi | Senior Staff Writer This semester, NJIT’s Gourmet Dining Services has had changes made to the various meal distribution facilities. According to Marybeth Boger, Dean of Students and Campus Life, and David Arluna, Food Service Director, these alterations are aimed to benefit students the most. GDS has now extended hours of operation on weekends to begin three hours earlier, at 8 a.m., and offers breakfast and lunch instead of just brunch. Boger explained that “last semester, students expressed concerns about not being able to eat earlier on the weekends, and now they have the opportunity to get food earlier.” With this, the late-night hours were taken away, as Arluna said that they were “barely used.” Leafs and Grains and Forte’s, like many of the other retail locations, also added extended hours in order to allow students to use their meal exchange later in the day. The fall semester saw many students waiting in long virtual lines, sometimes over an hour, to get their food prepared at Leafs and Grains. To resolve this issue, it switched to pre-making sandwiches and salads on a daily basis. Boger stated that this ensures students receive the “freshest product” almost immediately after their orders are placed. Although this takes away the ability of students to customize their orders, “it was a decision forced to be made because wait times were just too long,” Arluna noted. Previously located inside Highlander Commons, the grill offerings were moved to the commuter grill area, a retail location. Boger clarified, “This move allowed GDS to offer fresher food given such that the items are made to order.” With every meal, fries or vegetables are offered and sandwiches are customizable. Arluna explained the menu has also expanded, having added gluten free buns and a breaded chicken sandwich option. Additionally, students are given larger portions of items such as burgers, fries and more uniform chicken tenders. They can also choose which side they would like to add to their meals.
C-Store in Campus Center was closed due to the lack of use throughout last semester. The tech café, however, has some new items added, and on Warren Street, Village Market remains open. Arluna mentioned that the extended retail location hours let students have more of a variety throughout the day with larger, higher quality food selections. Complaints by students often cite smaller, portioned sizes given the elimination of unlimited, continuous dining, as well as reduced selection that an in-person Highlander Commons was always stocked with, such as the fajita/omelet station, the wok station, the dessert station, etc. Arluna justified the alterations, as “these are not normal times for anyone, and we are trying to deliver the best product to the students.” “There is always a lot of thought that goes into providing the best option for students. These decisions become a little more complex when being made in the middle of a pandemic where safety concerns are of utmost importance,” Boger explained. “I think it is important for students to know that there were a lot of discussions to arrive at the best plan that worked during these unprecedented times.” “Students may desire to have services back to the way they were prior to the pandemic. We are all hoping to be back to normal by the fall semester,” she added. “Students may dislike the changes, but I counter that argument with the fact that they have more variety and freshly made options.” Arluna expressed that the teams are open to hear students’ comments concerning GDS, and they will take into consideration any suggestions. Similarly, Boger addressed that the students’ collective voices are important, and Gourmet Dining Services is committed to providing a positive food experience at our university; she is certain that students will be involved as the teams brainstorm possibilities moving forward.
THE VECTOR
Week of February 15, 2021
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As the official student newspaper of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, our mission is to inform and entertain our readers, cultivate awareness of issues concerning the NJIT community and provide a forum for purposeful, constructive discussion among its members. Deadline for Articles or Letters to the Editor is Thursdays prior to publication at 10 P.M. For more information on submissions, e-mail: managing-editor@njitvector.com. Advertisement Reservations are due two weeks prior to publication and should be sent to: business-manager@njitvector.com
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VECTOR STAFF Copy Editors Victoria Nguyen Parth Agrawal James Nanchanatt Sreya Das Karim Gueye Yukthi Sangoi Anthony McInnis Contributing Writers Nick Merlino Fatima Osman Alexandra Griffith Staff Writers Joseph Ayoub Saanika Joshi Maksim Sokolov Samira Santana Evan Markowitz
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Upcoming Events WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17th 7:00 am - 8:30 pm Highlander VexU RoboticsTeam Competition 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Spring Career Fair 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Black History Month - Game Night THURSDAY, Feb. 18th 7:00 am - 8:30 pm Highlander VexU RoboticsTeam Competition 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Resume Review FRIDAY, Feb. 19th 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Intro to 3D Printing - Makerspace Wednesday, Feb. 24th 5:00 pm onwards HighlanderThon - Paint & Snack
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POLICE BLOTTER
2/9/21 9:10PM Officers pulled over a vehicle on New and Nuttman Street with Connecticut plates after a random inquiry. The plate came back as stolen out of Stamford, Connecticut. The driver was arrested, processed and released. The vehicle was towed.
NJIT Vector Summary 2/13/2021 Times Shown are Times Reported
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THE VECTOR
News
Week of February 15, 2021
Newark Advocacy Groups Settle Lawsuit over Lead Water Crisis By Nicholas Merlino | Contributing Writer With more than 17,000 of approximately 19,000 lead service lines already having been replaced to combat the exposure of lead to Newark residents drawing from the city’s water supply, advocacy groups and the City of Newark, New Jersey have recently proposed a settlement agreement for a lawsuit made over the lead water crisis. On Jan. 26, Newark officials and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection came to a mutual agreement with Newark advocacy groups, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Newark Education Workers Caucus, who issued the original litigation. The original lawsuit, filed in June 2018, had not come as a surprise to Newark residents. The Newark Board of Education had detected high lead levels in school drinking fountains years before, with other residential and public buildings surely affected. The city’s quality reports in 2018 revealed that some sections of Newark reported lead levels at 47 parts per billion, far higher than the what the EPA deemed safe for drinking, at 15 parts per billion. An aggressive lead service line replacement program followed, vowing to replace all 18,720 affected lead service lines within 24-30 months beginning March 2019, as opposed to its original 10-year effort. Despite adaptations made during the COVID-19 pandemic, even with Newark’s stay-at-home orders, the job is nearly complete, and ahead of schedule. The city also handed
out thousands of water testing kits and filters on an individual basis. The parties that issued the lawsuit did not seek monetary damages. Instead, the settlement requires the City to finish replacing all lead service lines in order to protect all citizens. It also ensures that the city must continue to provide free water testing and filters until the job is complete. Some advocacy groups, such as the Newark Water Coalition, that seeks to recognize system environmental racism and long-term effects, suggest that more demands must be fulfilled for citizens that already and will continue to be affected by lead levels, including a full funded 10-year program for victims of lead poisoning and a moratorium on water utility bills until lead levels test at zero. Yvette Jordan, the Chairwoman of the Newark Education Workers Caucus, is proud of their team’s actions in pushing for secure and safe drinking water for families in Newark. She also remains optimistic given the outcomes of the settlement with the City of Newark, saying that “we are just excited that the service lines will be replaced, fully replaced, and that’s exciting for us because our residents are the most important thing.” “What we saw is that many people started self-advocating for themselves, and that is really great, said Jordan. “This is a national model, when residents see something, they actually stand up and do something.”
Changes in Contact Tracing at NJIT By Katherine Ji | Managing Editor Many students are aware of contact tracing methods for students utilized by the Dean of Students, a significant tool used in limiting further spread of COVID-19 once a person has tested positive. However, new changes in contact tracing protocols have been implemented for the spring semester, including more freedoms given to exposed students’ during their length of quarantine. Such changes beg the question of exactly how the contact tracing system at NJIT works.
According to the Dean of Students Office, a student that has been infected with COVID-19 can be identified by NJIT’s contact tracing team in several different ways: a student may self-report a positive test by contacting the Dean of Students Office, or NJIT’s on campus surveillance testing team, in conjunction with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, or St. Michael’s Primary Care Center notifies the Dean of Students Office when a positive test is returned. Residential students that test positive
are asked to remain and isolate themselves at their primary residence. Meanwhile, residential students that test positive are relocated immediately to a room for self-isolation in Redwood hall, which is now utilized exclusively as for self-isolation for the spring semester. The contact tracing process must begin as soon as possible once a student has tested positive in order to be most effective, especially because of the nature of the virus. Marybeth Boger, Dean of Students and Campus Life, explained that “an infected person can spread COVID-19 staring 48 hours before the person has any symptoms or has tested positive for COVID-19.” They use an email interview process in order to identify close contact encounters. A close contact encounter is contact with anyone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes, a CDC guideline that is closely followed, as Boger said. Once contacts have been documented, they are sent a notification to self-quarantine and monitor themselves, while keeping the identity of the original student anonymous. Residents are instructed to quarantine in their room for 10 days and that they must take a COVID-19 test no earlier than their 7th day into their quarantine period in order to account for an incubation period. Potentially exposed individuals are allowed to leave their rooms at limited windows of time each day in order to obtain medical care, food and other essential items.
The windows of time were determined by Residence Life. Such protocols differ from those of the Fall 2020 semester, in which all potentially exposed residential students were instructed to quarantine for 14 days, with meal delivery services provided free of charge. Residential students also had to obtain a negative test result, although some students explained that they were still instructed to relocate to different rooms in the same dormitory hall despite returning a negative test result. Boger explained these changes from last semester’s protocol. “Per the state, individuals are allowed to leave their place of quarantine ‘to seek medical care/treatment or to obtain food and other essential items.’ We felt it was important to allow students a little movement and fresh air from quarantine. However, exposed individuals are… given a clear set of expectations” that the windows of time are followed closely. Boger expressed her faith and pride in NJIT’s community in following COVID-19 measures and surveillance testing, preventing a widespread campus outbreak. “Despite the challenges of not being able to socialize as in preCOVID times, our students have been amazing with following the safety protocols in place so that we are able to remain open. I am proud to be a part of a community that has come together in challenging times, with students, faculty and staff.”
THE VECTOR
Opinion
Week of February 15, 2021
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Got Cow's Milk? Overrated
Underrated
By Katherine Ji | Managing Editor
By Sabastian Fernandes | Senior Staff Writer
Whole Milk? Yeah, I have a whole jug of almond milk right here, what’s the problem? Wait, you mean… from a cow?! Long should be the days in which meat eaters and vegans alike still delight in the stained, dirty process of extracting cow secretions. In all honesty, drinking cow’s milk has always been cringeworthy. Selecting cow’s milk in it of itself has always been arbitrary and just as cringeworthy as watching someone casually sucking from a dog’s teat, if not moreso, since cow’s milk is designed to help grow a baby calf into a 1500-lbs. mammoth in just a few years. Just because cow’s milk has helped sustain human populations in the past does not make this the case nowadays. Contrary to popular belief, the countries that consume the most cow’s milk have the weakest bones and highest rates of bone fractures, partially because of poor absorption and retention of calcium derived from cow’s milk. Meanwhile, various hormones, IGF-1 and casein have been significantly linked with prostate and endometrial cancer, and significantly linked to obesity, diabetes (Type 1 and 2) and heart disease, all major causes of death in the United States. Fortified plant milks provide comparable alternatives to the benefits of drinking cow’s milk, without all
the bad. Let’s not even talk about the unethical process of extracting milk year after year until the cow reaches exhaustion, before eventually sending them off for slaughter. Meanwhile, plant milk farmers support a range of programs to increase pollinator populations, and do so at an environmental expense that pales in comparison to that of cow’s milk. For as much of a bad rap almond milk gets for its water consumption, cow’s milk requires twice as much, and 13 times as much as oat milk does. Cow’s milk also demands at least nine times as much land and three times as much carbon emissions as the next worst plant milk alternatives. Milk alternatives and other foods like ice cream and cheese alternatives are improving every day. Rest assured, costs will also eventually fall when the demand for more alternatives finally pushes for more equally balanced subsidies for both plant and animal farmers, the same grossly imbalanced subsidies that lead to the dumping of 3.7 million gallons of cow’s milk a day at the start of the pandemic. Nowadays, when a magnificent range of wholesome, sustainable, ethical and healthier plant milks are available at virtually all grocery stores, there should be no excuse.
Almond. Oat. Soy. Rice. What do all of these substances have in common? No, they are not the elements in some weird “Avatar: The Last Airbender” alternate universe. Instead, they all have properties which lend themselves to delectable creaminess when suspended in water; yet, like many food items, they are not naturally found in this form. These carbohydrate cocktails are crafted as substitutes to simulate the one and only lactated goodness: cows’ milk. Now, this article is not meant to serve as a diss track to non-cow-milk drinkers, whom I believe can coexist peacefully in this society. However, today I come to you all to say this: it is important to remember our origins. In the face of adversity, cows’ milk has “udderly” fallen from its grandeur of days yore, and it is my job to remind you all of the history of the underrated nectar of our bovine comrades. Archaeological evidence suggests that humans have been drinking cows’ milk for at least the past 10,000 years, and strong selective pressure in our evolutionary history has made it so that many people have developed the proper genes to be able to consume it. DNA coding for the production of
the lactase enzyme has become a dominant gene in the human genome. It also continues to spread in parts of the world that have previously never had access to cattle milk such as parts of East Africa, providing scientists with the first recorded instance of convergent human evolution as recently as 3,000 years ago. There have actually been four isolated instances of this mutation across the globe, proving that drinking milk is a genetic inevitability. Providing humans with copious amounts of nutrients such as protein, iodine, potassium, phosphorus and most famously, calcium, it is no wonder that the ability to digest milk has historically been synonymous with human longevity and the growth of global populations. In addition, recent studies have linked low-fat dairy to reduced risk of diabetes, and overall dairy consumption with decreased risk of hypertension. At any angle you look at it from, humanity seems fated to remain dependent on cows’ milk for the betterment of the species as a whole— whatever nuts and grains you choose to consume as a substitute simply pale in comparison.
COLLECTIONS voices from around campus
Submit your responses to @njit_vector on Instagram!
If you could add any major to NJIT, what would it be? "Underwater Basket Weaving" "Fine Arts" "political science since MIT has it and we always copy MIT" "more art and design" "B.S. in Sleeping" "Music Production" "TikTok Dance"
"Business concentration in marijuana dispensary management" "Aerospace Engineering" "Discipline-specific civil engineering majors: transportation, structural, etc."
"Basket Weaving" "Engineering managment undergrad" "Computational Linguistics"
"B.S. Software Engineering"
"BS Digital Design (instead of existing BA) --- would be cool to learn more about the CS"
"French!"
"Photography"
"MS in Media Engineering"
"Robotics"
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THE VECTOR
Entertainment
Week of February 15, 2021
“Outside the Wire” To Be or Not to Be By Sabastian Fernandes | Senior Staff Writer Released Jan. 15, 2021, Netflix’s latest sci-fi robot war film “Outside the Wire” reinvents the wheel when it comes to following the commonly seen trope of sentience in machines, seen in robot movies such as “AXL,” “Chappie” and “Big Hero Six.” However, that’s not to say that they didn’t put their own spin on said “wheel.” The movie begins with protagonist Lieutenant Thomas Harp eating a bag of gummy bears while piloting a military drone in Eastern Europe, overseeing a heated battle between his fellow soldiers and Russian terrorists. This opening scene is remarkably efficient in setting up both the supposed setting of the movie as well as the main character’s motivation. In a not-too-distant future with robots, the world has circled back to Cold War-like tensions, with Russia seeking to annex Ukraine, but this time America has its nose full-deep in eastern priorities. Called “Gumps” by their human counterparts, robots have seemingly been mass-produced by the United States to act as expendables in hostile conflict. Harp is a part of this tense conflict, but his demeanor is indifferent, as if his years of virtual piloting has desensitized and disconnected him from the strife. This trait is cemented and packaged with his character immediately, as he disobeys a direct order to not fire at a volatile Russian payload that two human American soldiers were using as cover, killing the young men. He is questioned later for his horrific actions, justifying them as “the call that felt most correct,” as by sacrificing the two soldiers, he saved the rest of the platoon from being blown up by the payload. Nevertheless, he is fittingly punished by
being sent in-person to the very base belonging to the platoon he ‘saved.’ Not too soon after, Captain Leo is introduced. Leo has been put in charge of Harp and his punishment, and so it initially looks as if Leo will be the common “tough as nails but soft on the inside” leader archetypes of so many other war movies. Almost immediately, it is revealed that Leo is actually a robot, part of a top-secret government program “Project Leo” to create the world’s first sentient bionic supersoldiers. But here’s the catch: Leo isn’t invincible. He has been programmed to feel pain, and has a neural network so complex as to also understand and feel emotion. Through many of the movie’s interactions between Harp and Leo, it is shown that Leo is in many ways much more emotionally intelligent than Harp, making him the titular foil of Harp. In one of my favorite lines by Leo, he says “Sci-Ops… My sleeve may say US, but my face conveys calm.” He uses this perceived notion to his advantage when he is able to neutralize armed rebels from firing on his men by putting down his weapon and simply talking to them. Armed with the power of understanding fear, he is able to empathize with humans, making him an effective field soldier. And thus, the stage is set for Harp, the human who cannot feel, and Leo, the robot who can. So by now one must
think “Ah, so this is a feel-good movie! Harp will ironically learn how to be human from a robot!” Wrong. This war-drama movie is so chock-full of plot twists and theme changes that it becomes easy to lose track of its point in the middle of all the action. One thing that this movie does substantially well is fight choreography. One of the most memorable fights in this movie occurs towards the end of the first act, where Leo and Harp must infiltrate a bank to steal some nuclear launch codes. The camera perfectly centers Leo in every shot, as he quickly calculates and manipulates his surroundings for the best cover. With every gunshot he fires, the screen shakes with intensity, and with every takedown, a perceptible fast-forward gives each encounter an energetic pace. Much of the substance of these fights though comes from Leo’s atypical combat techniques that would likely be impossible for a human. He jumps through windows and precision-shoots baddies through other baddies. He throws grenades and manually detonates them by shooting them mid-backflip. Each attack leads into the next, and eventually the scuffles morph to look more like a beautiful synchronized dance. That being said, any encounters with CGI involved could definitely use some work. For example, the Gumps look astounding for the most part, but some shots of theirs appear
way too glossy and smooth, as if they were scenes from a video game and not a war movie. Additionally, the movie’s use of repeated assets, such as scenes of robots jumping out of cars and military drones aiming cannons, seem like more copy-and-paste than anything. After a memorable and touching fight sequence at the end of the movie, in a matter of minutes, Harp’s team is suddenly disabled. Personally, I found the pacing of this final act impossible to follow, and that it left me reeling with confusion and bewilderment at just how underdeveloped a conclusion to a movie with such high-grade topics can be. “Outside the Wire” is an astonishing war film. Through trial and tribulation, the movie demonstrates the visceral nature of conflict and the dehumanizing nature it can have on the people who fight in it. The title itself is a double entendre, referring to Harp’s departure from “inside the wire,” meaning as a drone pilot, and Leo’s ascendance from his “wires” that are meant to control and weaponize him. This movie sets up so many spinning plates and high-brow socio-political statements, and yet falls short on providing a solution to most of them. Harp is depicted as having learned the error of his ways, however, Harp’s cruel, insensitive nature in this movie is never truly addressed, along with the United States’ continued destruction in eastern Europe and automation of its military. For all the cool dialogues this movie starts and the flashy ways it presents them, it fails to satisfy its viewers with its rushed conclusion and disappointing character development.
THE VECTOR
Entertainment
Week of February 15, 2021
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The Anti-Hero: Shrek Vs Walter White By Anthony McInnis | Senior Staff Writer
Photo by Fern&o Palacios
The anti-hero is a very popular trope in fiction. Oftentimes the character who is a bit of a rogue, plays by his or her own rules, and isn’t the most moral person becomes the most popular. Since the anti-hero is not bound by conventional morality, there can be more layers to their qualities compared to the traditional protagonist. The hero of a story is usually a role model; someone whose qualities of bravery, kindness and determination are admirable. In fiction the hero will either have those attributes from the start or develop them by the climax. Frankly, that can get boring. It's exciting to see Iron Man not care and kick butt, while it’s boring to see Superman save a cat from a tree time and time again. However, the appeal of the anti-hero goes much further than that. Two of the most popular examples of the anti-hero, Shrek and Walter White, bear some similarities that can help define what makes the anti-hero connect with audiences. Shrek, was the main character in the classic 2001 Dreamworks movie “Shrek.” While Walter White was the main character of the hit AMC drama “Breaking Bad.” Both characters, when looked at together, represent everything that makes the anti-hero connect with people. On one hand, Shrek starts off as a vicious monster who only cares for himself and wishes to be left in isolation, however by the end of the film Shrek learns to let other people into his life and by the fourth film in the series becomes a family man. On the other hand, Walter White starts off as a loving father and husband only to become a monster. Although the two have seemingly opposing character arcs, they are really two different sides of the same coin.
Shrek represents the anti-hero that grows to become a better person. When the story is given the freedom to make the main character start off as a bad person, or in this case ogre, it makes it all the more satisfying when the character change happens. Because Shrek isn’t motivated by an altruistic sense of right and wrong, there’s relatability to him. Most people aren’t Captain America, they won’t put themselves on the front lines to save the world. When Shrek learns that maybe his swamp does have room for friends, it appeals to the idea that anyone can be better. Walter White is the opposite of Shrek in every way. Shrek embarks on a noble
quest for selfish reasons, only to become a better person by the end. Walter White begins a life of crime for noble reasons, only to be consumed by his greed and pride. Walter White represents is a fall from grace. It’s inherently interesting watching a good person turn bad, but to relate to their experiences all the same. When situations force Walter to do immoral things, it forces the audience to question if they would do the same. While Shrek learned to value friendship and family, Walter casts these values away. If Shrek represents the hope that anyone can be better, Walter White is the fear that anyone could be worse. By the end of “Breaking Bad,” Walter is where
Shrek started. He’s completely alone, the king of an empire of one person. The dark twist is that while Shrek thought he liked being alone, Walter having known what it was like to be loved, is miserable in his isolation. It’s almost as if Vince Gilligan, the creator of “Breaking Bad,” set out to make Walter White a perfect juxtaposition to Shrek, a mirrored, non-superimposable image. The reason the anti-hero is so interesting is because having a main character who doesn’t squarely fit into the categories of good or evil makes for an inherently more engaging and nuanced story. Fundamentally, the anti-hero appeals to us because it is us.
“here comes the sun” by Bill Wurtz: Song Review By Evan Markowitz | Staff Writer That all came to a halt in Mar. 2019 with the release of his music video “might quit.” Following the release of that video, in what Wurtz calls a “terrible coincidence,” the “bill wurtz” YouTube channel grinded to a screeching halt and Wurtz stopped posting to Twitter. While he was still active on his website’s somewhat obscure Q&A section, to most of his millions of fans, he had disappeared seemingly overnight. This all changed one day last January with the release of “here comes the sun.”
Bill Wurtz is back and better than ever, pushing boundaries into the third dimension. Wurtz, who many may know from widely reaching videos like “history of the entire world, i guess,” is a content creator and musician whose roots took place all the way back in 2005. His trademark absurdist style of both music and videography took hold throughout the
Photo by YouTube.com 2010s on YouTube and the discontinued Vine, often taking the form of short 5-30 second videos accompanied by jazzy jingles like the video, “still a piece of garbage.” Aside from these shorter pieces, Wurtz would occasionally create fully-fledged music videos for songs like “La de da de da de da de day oh” and “Mount St. Helens is about to Blow Up.”
To say I was surprised to see a Bill Wurtz video after so long would be an understatement. The song, musically speaking, fits right in with past work of Wurtz’s, featuring the same jazz-fusion stylings seen in most of his longer-form music videos. That said, the visuals of this music video mark a new chapter in Bill Wurtz’s style: they’re in 3D, animated using the free modeling software Blender. While many aspects of his visuals are consistent with his older works,
such as his doodles and typography, the 3D elements and lighting add a new depth, both literally and figuratively, to this video. Lyrically, the song is an exploration into human emotion using the sun to symbolize happiness and light. It features lyrics like “when darkness covers the Earth and I know it's the end for sure, here comes the sun,” just to give a taste of the song’s themes. This type of lyrical content is by no means unexpected, as many of Wurtz’s other songs delve into his inner psyche. Overall, this song marks a triumphant return of a legend, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. According to his website, Wurtz is already working on his next masterpiece, which he says will take “a reasonable amount of time.” Hopefully that is sooner rather than later.
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THE VECTOR
Entertainment
Week of February 15, 2021
Horoscopes
Do You Even Sudoku?
By @poetastrologers
ARIES So many feelings
TAURUS
GEMINI
are curving around the story. This is in so many ways what you always wanted to be doing. Just you and the rush of time. There’s no stopping you now.
In a long coat you will find more things to wonder about. Instead knock on the door if you need to. Familiar combinations will yield new outcomes. All you have to do is try.
It’s maybe a surprise—you holding the odd object out in front. You will place a surprise note under a table. Maybe someday even you won’t know where it came from. But it will still have valuable essences.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
EASY
On a hearth there is the endless day. You sit there knowing this intimately. The symbol of love a sort of golden stovetop. Or even more, your favorite scene in every love story: the final kiss.
Luck has a way of finding you. You will take a telescope and look for it, but that’s not necessary this time. It’s in your moments of solitude that the wheel keeps moving. You are floating now, in sync with everything.
You will take your time to do things for others. This is what you always do, but it will be more pronounced this week. What you forget will be written everywhere. You won’t be able to escape what the ferns and leaves have to say.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
This is the part where you get out your trumpet and bell. You would like everyone to know that you are here and waiting. By your side a loyal friend. In front of you all of the things that are beautiful.
What occurred just by chance is still something that has happened. Two ways of going but you’d prefer to know where you’re headed. Standing on the future is what you prefer more than anything. You will all of a sudden find what you thought you had lost.
What you might have not expected will happen again. A journey or a falling into something new. You have put everything into the now, but you will find the past is still present. Wear all of your favorite things.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
There is strength and you have so much of it. Your arms around another in this act of loyalty. That’s exactly why you turn and turn for love. To be so much within in it—it’s the flowering glory.
In a little tin there are so many candies. You might be surprised at how it expands to fill with good things. Wear your hat if you want to, but you don’t need to. The self and the leaf are two very calm companions.
MEDIUM
You are feeling that all within your arms are the flying pronouncements. No instead in your heart you will feel the bloom. Someone is coming back into contact. You thought you didn’t care, but actually you do.
HARD
Comics EVIL
Crossword Crossword credited to onlinecrosswords.net
Tweet @TheNJITVector a photo of your completed crossword puzzle (only if you can solve it, though)! Across 1. Desert traveler 6. Bride's throwaway 10. Big do 14. "William Tell," e.g. 15. Willing partner? 16. Load to bear 17. Robe fabric 18. Lamb cut 19. Seniors' group 20. Rock Hudson/Gina Lollobrigida '60s flick 23. Like some arrangements 25. Shaft with a blade 26. Island chain
27. Gambler's marker 28. Like some situations 31. "___ you the clever one?" 33. Spelling on TV 35. A pro might shoot it 36. Good name for a cook? 37. Reggie Jackson's '70s nickname 42. Taxing letters 43. Neither follower 44. Give forth 46. Tough to please 49. Pounded the Underwood 51. Haunted house sound
52. Best seller's number 53. Make zigzags, maybe 55. Expose to fresh air 57. Sandy Dennis/Anthony Newley '60s flick 61. Not a short story 62. Many miles away 63. Off kilter 66. Intense angers 67. Kind of phone 68. Model Cheryl 69. Minstrel s instrument 70. Koala hangout 71. Furnish with a fund
Down 1. Barracks bed 2. Mock, in a way 3. "Never on Sunday" actress Melina 4. Overthrow, perhaps 5. Neither clergyman nor professional 6. Chums 7. One of the reeds 8. Get into with ease 9. Gossipy sort 10. Brew topper 11. Make possible 12. Soup holder 13. Verve
47. Easily tripped up 48. "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" singer 49. Double offer, informally 50. Future Kerry/Bush event 54. Do a legislator's job 56. Epoxy, for one 58. Slack off, with up 59. Crooner Jerry 60. Contemporary of Agatha 64. Id companion 65. Savannah-to-Baton Rouge dir.
21. Secretly weds 22. Inspiration for Yeats 23. Tailor's concern 24. Weaver's contraption 29. Civil __ 30. O. Henry specialty 32. Cartoonist Goldberg 34. Goddess in "Aida" 36. Mill site 38. Lovers' rendezvous 39. Whistle blower 40. Boarded a ship 41. Civil disorder 45. Stubbed item 46. Paleontologist's find
THE VECTOR
Week of February 15, 2021
HELP KEEP NJIT’S CAMPUS SAFE...
BY GETTING TESTED!
To ensure the health and safety of
*Volunteers accepted based on availability of test kits.
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the university community, NJIT is conducting weekly COVID rapid antigen testing of 400 individuals on campus. That’s 320 students and 80 faculty and staff each week. Invitations to be tested will be sent out via email. We strongly encourage voluntary registrations as well.* Testing will be administered by New Jersey Innovation Institute in conjunction with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center.
TESTING HOURS Monday: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Tuesday: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. Wednesday: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. Thursday: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
NEW TESTING LOCATION M2CU Unit Corner of Warren & Lock Streets (across from WEC)
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