Society & Culture

  • Bang and Advertising Practises Don’t Go Well

      by Gary Chapman gchapman@lc.edu   On the internet, most brands, especially when they try to do something to make them seem cool in the eyes of the youth, are usually met with vitriol, with…

  • A Look Back at the Time Sony Put Rootkits on People’s Computers

    by Gary Chapman gchapman@lc.edu   The year was 2005, MySpace was one of the largest sites online, YouTube just started and one of the most common programs on people’s computers was for file sharing; Napster,…

  • Artbreeder: The Art of AI

    By Megan Lanham mrlanham@lc.edu   In recent years, it has become possible to extract visions and concepts from deep learning systems and neural networks. A neural network is a computer system that is closely modeled…

  • Wear Red, Not Blue: Why Autism Speaks Should Not Be Supported

      by Gary Chapman gchapman@lc.edu   On April 2, hundreds, if not thousands, are going to be wearing blue in support of Autism Awareness Day. Some people will be wearing red because the “Light It…

  • Advertising Through Fear: How to Lose Customers’ Trust

    By Emily Johnson amjohnson@lc.edu   As an aspiring graphic designer, I know that my career path will most likely require advertising in some way. Be it flyers for events, logos and branding for a company or…

  • Rainbow Holocaust: The Horror of the Gay Concentration Camps of Chechnya

    by Gary Chapman gchapman@lc.edu   On Aug. 8, 2017, up-and-coming Chechen singer Zelim Bakaev was walking in the city of Grozny while in the area for his sister’s wedding. According to credible eyewitness accounts, he…

  • Why Having Houseplants is Healthy

      Graphic and story by Ryan Pierce rmpierce@lc.edu   Houseplants are not only great room decor, they also have many health benefits. Everyone knows plants produce oxygen, but they also rid the air of toxins.…

  • Demonic Possessions, Alien Abductions and Literal Waking Nightmares: A Look at Sleep Paralysis

      By Emily Johnson amjohnson@lc.edu   It’s 3 a.m. You suddenly snap awake, you hear rushing wind and see a dark cloud of smoke swirling around you. You can’t move anything other than your eyes;…

  • Krystie’s Kuriosities: Robert Wadlow

    by Krystie Morrison kemorrison@lc.edu   Alton, Ill. is known for its rich history that includes stories of Elijah P. Lovejoy, the Underground Railroad, the Piasa Bird and also the world’s tallest man, Robert Pershing Wadlow. …

  • The Problem with Six Flags Quiddya

    By Gary Chapman gchapman@lc.edu In 2018, Six Flags announced that a new park would be opened in Saudi Arabia, in the Quiddiya entertainment district in Riyadh. The park dropped an announcement video in 2019, with…