Collegiate Times

FOUND MAGAZINE

Found is a website and repository for interesting things people find. The archives contain many things, including photos, grocery lists and song lyrics written on scraps of paper.

These mundane objects provide a glimpse into another person’s life and encourage the reader’s imagination to fill in the blanks.

One note on a pink scrap of paper reads, “PLAN AHEAD. Do you have any empty boxes?” It’s almost like a puzzle. What is the person planning ahead for and why do they need boxes? Maybe they are moving to a new house. It is conjecture like this that provides the entertainment in the site.

Found is a fun way to waste an afternoon if you’ve exhausted your bookmarked cat videos on YouTube.

Found gets three crumpled-up notes out of five.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

SyFy’s four-season television series may have ended last year, but it’s DVD release is finding new fans every day, mostly semi-reluctant girlfriends.

The title, “Battlestar Galactica,” may seem overzealous in its geekery, but the show’s writers took a daring spin on the franchise and delivered a solid story with believable characters, simply using science fiction as a backdrop to a story that could feel at home in any setting.

“Battlestar Galactica” follows a struggling fleet of survivors under the protection of a single battleship, the titular Galactica.

They are fleeing the Cylons, robotic aggressors that humanity created decades ago that have returned for genocidal revenge.

The show incorporates many religious elements into the story (e.g., humans are polytheistic, Cylons are monotheistic) adding depth to seemingly coincidental events in the show.

The show appeals to a variety of audiences. For example, sci-fi fans are obviously interested in the show’s giant spaceships and evil robots.

The show flips between the military and civilian aspects of the human survivor fleet and strikes parallels with issues that are present today (terrorism, death penalty, civil rights, etc.)

There is plenty of action for guys with just enough soap opera drama and eye candy for girls, making it an excellent show for couples to watch together.

Rent or buy “Battlestar Galactica” today.

“Battlestar Galactica” gets five toasters out of five.

DOOM

Few video games have had such a profound effect on the gaming industry and pop culture as the original “Doom.”

It sparked the first public outcry against video game violence and was voted the most important game of all time by a panel of 100 game developers and journalists for GameSpy. No one can deny the impact of the game, but compared to most modern games, “Doom” has not aged gracefully.

“Doom” was the original first-person shooter game, and it follows an unnamed space marine (nicknamed Doomguy by fans) as he battles the demonic legions of hell on Mars’ moon Phobos. Other than that, it is a case of, “There are some bad guys, go shoot at them. Oh, find some keys as well.”

The game can be found free, and legally, many places on the Internet, but it can be a pain getting it to work properly.

Alternatively, it can be bought via Steam for $10, which may or may not be worth avoiding the hassle if you are technologically impaired.

Although the game play is enjoyable, it isn’t as entertaining as most other modern choices.

In short, “Doom” is a nice time-waster but not a game you would clear an afternoon for. Instead, it can take your mind off the paper (or article) you are supposed to be writing.

The original “Doom” for the PC gets three shotgun shells out of five.

A version of this article appeared in the Sep 14 issue of the Collegiate Times.