Some of Dayton’s birds will soon be living in eco-friendly style.
Students in Paul Schilling’s Design Basics 3D class (VIS 107) are constructing birdhouses from old pallets and in the process are both learning about design fundamentals and providing housing for some of Dayton’s many birds.
Although birdhouse building has been a staple of the 3D design class for several years, this is the first year that will emphasize using recycled building materials.
“I had a wild idea in my head about how to engage students,” says Schilling, “change the parameters of the project from where the students buy their own wood to something that’s recycled, that essentially costs Sinclair money to throw away.”
The 30 pallets used for the projects were acquired from Shipping and Receiving office at Sinclair, and were going to have to be transported from the campus and disposed of.
Although Schilling says that promoting bird housing is one objective of the project, the houses are generally designed more for aesthetics than habitability.
“Students take into account architectural styles or art movements that they want to model their birdhouse after,” says Schilling. “You see bird houses at Walmart or Lowes, and it seems like the same cookie cutter birdhouse…here they have an opportunity to jump into a market that nobody’s really in.”
Schilling says that eco-friendliness is catching on in the design world, from interior designers to industrial designers to graphic designers, “some companies have realized that it’s really good for the environment, and on top of that it saves money.”
He hopes that his students will learn that “not only can you utilize the resources around you, but in addition to that, you can create design with that, [design] that sells.”
The class’s 21 students each designed their own birdhouse, and had to first create small models and run their plans by the woodshop to ensure that they could produce what they had designed. Students usually consider making birdhouses a fun project, according to Schilling.
“Forcing them to go outside and use some power tools and cut these apart, hopefully that remains and sticks in their mind,” says Schilling. “Hopefully this is an experience that gets catalogued and they can pull from it someday.”
Students build eco-friendly birdhouses
Plenty to choose from at the Oscars
On Hollywood’s largest stage, a man named Oscar reigns supreme.
Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin host the 82nd Academy Awards on Sunday, March 7 on ABC. This marks the first year that the Academy increased its Best Picture nominations to 10 films.
“Avatar,” which recently became the highest-grossing film of all-time, and “The Hurt Locker” led all nominations with nine, including Best Picture.
Here’s a recap of the major nominations and a prediction of the winners.
Best Picture
With 10 films nominated for the Academy’s top honor, it’s tougher than ever to distinguish the best movie.
I can’t see “Avatar” taking this award. Though visually captivating, the story was lazy and lacked originality. It’s difficult to give the Oscar to a film that didn’t earn nominations in the acting or writing fields.
I’ve been big on Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” since the summer. Led by Best Actor nominee Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker” immediately grabs the viewer with intense action sequences and has a different, more humanly feel to the war genre.
“Inglorious Bastards,” “Up,” and “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” are serious candidates, as well.
Prediction: “The Hurt Locker”
Best Director
It took James Cameron nearly 15 years to finish “Avatar,” according to EntertainmentWeekly.com. In 1994, Cameron put together a rough draft of the script and, because of a lack of technology, waited more than a decade until movie-making technology caught up to his vision.
The waiting seemed to pay off for Cameron as “Avatar” grossed more than $2 billion worldwide. Again, the film was stunning on multiple levels and Cameron’s imaginative ways will be paid off again with an Oscar here.
Nominees like Bigelow, Lee Daniels (“Precious”) and Quentin Tarantino (“Inglorious Bastards”) drew the short straw after being paired with Cameron.
Prediction: James Cameron, “Avatar”
Best Actor
Early speculation has the Academy leaning heavily toward Jeff Bridges’ performance in “Crazy Heart.” Bridges already earned plenty of awards for his role including a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama.
Bridges is near and dear to my heart thanks to his unforgettable role as The Dude in “The Big Lebowski.” Renner (“The Hurt Locker”) is a possibility and one should never count out George Clooney (“Up in the Air”).
Prediction: Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”
Here are a few other award predictions:
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Waltz, “Inglorious Bastards”
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Nine”
Best Animated Feature Film: “Up”
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, “Inglorious Bastards”
Counting down the decade’s top films: Part two
Growing up in the ‘00s, I feel like I have a good grasp on the cinematic triumphs and failures over the past decade. Here’s my continued list of the top 10 movies of the decade beginning with No. 5.
5. “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003)
I know I’m cheating when I throw a trilogy in one slot, but these amazing films should not be separated.
All three parts were produced and directed by Peter Jackson and collected a combined 17 Academy Awards, including Best Picture in 2003 for “The Return of the King.”
Even for viewers who aren’t fond of the fantasy genre, the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien are masterpieces that offer friendship, betrayal, love and war.
4. “Mystic River” (2003)
Starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden, “Mystic River” is a profoundly deep movie about a group of old friends being pulled back together by a tragedy effecting a neighborhood.
Penn and Robbins earned Academy Awards for their performances in Clint Eastwood’s portrayal of Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same title.
The performances are astounding, especially Penn’s, and Eastwood keeps viewers on the edge of their seat thanks to a brilliant script.
3. “There Will Be Blood” (2007)
Paul Thomas Anderson directs Daniel Day Lewis in a career-defining role as Daniel Plainview, a stern businessman who discovers a small religious community that happens to be located over an ocean of oil in California.
Lewis puts on a remarkable show and his portrait of Plainview is the greatest piece of acting I’ve seen in my lifetime.
“There Will Be Blood” won two Oscar’s, including Best Actor for Lewis.
2. “Up” (2009)
Disney Pixar continues to strike gold over and over again.
Just when I thought I was too old for animated movies, “Up” sweeps me off of my feet.
The story is based around an old man named Carl. After the death of his wife, Carl sets out on a journey to Paradise Falls in South America that she had always dreamed of.
Like in every classic Pixar production, the audience is introduced to heartwarming and unforgettable characters. Obviously, “Up” is no different.
If you haven’t given “Up” a chance, grab a box of tissues and purchase the DVD as soon as possible.
1. “The Departed” (2006)
I can’t say enough about this film. Directed by the brilliant Martin Scorsese, “The Departed” is a perfect film for my demographic.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin lead the way in the story of two undercover moles in opposite worlds.
After directing “Goodfellas,” “Raging Bull,” “Casino,” and “Gangs of New York,” Scorsese finally scored an Academy Award for Best Picture for his work in “The Departed.”
DiCaprio is stunning in this film as you see his character fall deeper and deeper into an uncomfortable and frightening world. In classic fashion, Nicholson is brilliant as crime lord Frank Costello.
Although the decade produced a ton of great films, “The Departed” stands alone in my book.
Conan O’Brien shakes up late night
The spring might have been out of his step Tuesday night, but Conan O’Brien pulled no punches during the ill-fated “The Tonight Show.”
In addition to using false subtitles to show world leaders comparing NBC’s late-night lineup changes to a “dutch oven,” O’Brien also featured show writer Deon Cole, who compared the controversy to “a pimp trying to keep its hoes.” Specifically, Cole claimed Leno was a “bottom (longest tenured) hoe,” Conan was a “pretty hoe,” Jimmy Fallon was a “young hoe” and Carson Daly was a “freak hoe.”
Also featured during the monologue was Howie Mandel, who presented O’Brien with six “Deal or No Deal” style cases containing post-Tonight Show career options. O’Brien chose case six, which contained two tickets to see Jay Leno perform stand-up comedy at the Luxor Casino in Las Vegas.
Tom Brokaw, who called himself “the news hoe,” was O’Brien’s first guest of the evening. Brokaw joked about the NBC family, playfully describing it as a dysfunctional group, and said it would not be the same without O’Brien.
Zachary Levi, star of the NBC show “Chuck,” was initially invited on the show because of his role in the movie “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel.” However, he preempted the interview in order to tell O’Brien how he felt about the late-night shakeup.
“I want to say some things before the plug is officially pulled, and what I want to say is everyone at ‘Chuck,’ myself, millions of people, all agree that you are one of the funniest, one of the kindest, one of the classiest acts to ever grace late night, and one of the prettiest hoes as well.”
Country artist Rosanne Cash completed the guest line-up, performing her Grammy-nominated song “Sea of Heartbreak.”
O’Brien closed the show by saying “I’ll see you tomorrow, I think. Good night!”
O’Brien wasn’t the only one to poke fun at NBC Tuesday night. A commercial for “Saturday Night Live” featured Bill Hader telling host Sigourney Weaver to run away because NBC wanted to move SNL to 2 a.m. Even CBS late-night host Craig Ferguson joined in the fun, calling NBC a bunch of liars.
“You know what they should do with all the late-night hosts? Line them up in front of Simon Cowell and let America text who they like,” he said.
Earlier Tuesday O’Brien released a statement in which he made clear that he would not continue to host “The Tonight Show” at the 12:05 a.m. time slot, saying that he would not participate in what he believed to be the show’s destruction. His full statement can be read here.
“The Ruins” Blog: Pushed Back
Sorry, I couldn’t get a post up Tuesday or today, but tomorrow expect a massive post on the past two episodes. For a sneak preview I’ll let you all know to be ready for a very explicit analysis of the Veronica/Ibis debacle and how it affects the game. Plus, I will dole out some more predictions for things to come.
See ya tomorrow and remember “you killed it.”
Halloween Karaoke
Yesterday, Oct. 28, the Student Leadership Association hosted Thriller Time Halloween Karoake in Building 8. Sinclair student Keisha Brown was one of the many students who went onstage.
“It’s what I like to do,” Brown said. “I like to entertain people.”
Students performed songs including “Proud Mary” by Ike and Tina Turner, “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson, “Higher” by Creed and many more. The event lasted from noon until 2 p.m.
