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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1994)
L Vil2fii )n con- it 3 uni Hit tave a c|ij|j ler felow : the hotd 'ell. ) uble,"slie ble." ^ emplof. wn.lea^j thing, ‘family’’o| n them- iat they elpherya hat it’s | Morem to know who vith the aycheck, 'ides em- unity to i school ot in anyway ouget i just life rk and d she has is with e said, “1 I thank r e it." if the ow ;es; andtl is of write or forced! retzscb the imp® : instit* ofTett’ lerious," Tuesday, April 26, 1994 The Battalion Page 5 Brainscan' - no signs of life By Jennifer Gressett The Battalion “Brainscan” Starring Edward Furlong, Frank Langella, Amy Hargreaves and T. Ryder Smith Directed by John Flynn Rated R Playing at Hollywood USA The classic elements of horror meet virtual reality in a sad at tempt to create a modern murder mystery called “Brainscan.” "Terminator 2” star Edward Furlong returns to the screen in yet another high-tech suspense thriller with a shallow plot. Michael Briar (Furlong) is a high school teen-ager. Known to most students as ‘weird,’ ‘differ ent’ and ‘frightening,’ he is the leader of the Horror Club. But af ter presenting “Death, Death, Death, Part II” to his club, the high school principal decides to have the club banned from campus. In search of new forms of fear, Michael is then introduced to Brainscan, an interactive CD-ROM experience that promises to “satis fy even the sickest fantasies.” After he slips the disc into his computer, a voice invites him to enter a game that is “more real than reality.” It isn’t until the day after he plays the game that he re alizes that the murder he commit ted in virtual reality may in fact, have become reality. As the nightmare comes to life, Michael has to continue the game. The police are looking for a mur derer and there are witnesses that need to die. The hypnotic spell he has fallen victim to has made him the local killer in his quiet hometown. Is it just a fantasy or has it become reality? Advanced film and video tech nology bring this computer-aged film to life. Created at Hollywood- based Sidley Wright MotionWorks, the film includes both computer generated images and prosthetic effects. Highlights include melt ing characters formed through computer-generated morphing techniques. “We tried to put together a team that would teach us, in fact, how to do those advanced special effects,” producer Michel Roy said. “And we are very happy with the results.” Roy kept the special effect theme in mind when he cast Fur long as Michael. He said he knew he was the teen-ager for the part the first time he heard him read. It was Fur long’s “kid-next-door” quality and vulnerability that helped him to develop the role of Michael, Roy said. Another welhcast character was T. Ryder Smith, who plays the “Trickster.” The guide and master mind behind Brainscan, the Trick ster is what Smith said he envi sioned as a type of “psychic Frankenstein.” With make-up that could win the scariest Halloween contest, the Trickster is another example of the creative additions to the movie. Without computers and creativ ity, though, it’s just another horror flick. All of the elements of horror are there: a shallow plot, a few shady characters and a lot of blood. Whether this will go down in history as a real horror flick, I don’t know. But I’ll bet it returns with an even cheesier sequel soon. Dr. Bryant Continued from Page 3 A mong the things found in co- prolites, Bryant said there are plant crystals, bones, feather hair, eggshells and pollen. Pollen has been called “nature’s fingerprints” Bryant said, and with good reason. In an article Bryant co wrote, he explained that these tiny plant parts, both modern and fos- silizea, are helping law enforcement officials to solve some crimes. The technique is called forensic palynolo- U- Pollen and spores (palymorphs) extracted from case evidence can be used to reveal geographic origins. This sometimes enables law officers to link an object or person to the scene of a crime. Bryant has been working on and off in forensic palynology for 10 j/ears. ‘The field is not flooded,” he said. “Unfortunately, most law enforcers only use palynology as a last resort.” But Bryant said he thinks it should be used to solve cases more often. “It doesn’t always work,” he said. “But when it does, it’s on the money. It’s a great way to discover where drugs come from. With drugs like heroin or others we can find out the source.” Bryant said he got involved in forensic palynology purely by acci dent. The government was doing their honey subsidizing program which was basically paying people to grow bees to keep crops pollinated, he said. During this time, the price of American honey was much more ex- E ensive than that of imported honey, e said. “But certain unscrupulous people, to get big bucks, began selling honey from Mexico,” Bryant said, “and call ing it honey from Texas.” Bryant said he received a call from Washington explaining the problem and asking him if there was anything he could do. “They made a contract for me to analyze a number of samples looking for pollen not present in the U.S.,” he said. “Six percent of the samples turned out to be bogus or non-do mestic.” Later on, Bryant said he received a phone call from a policeman who had heard a lecture on palynology. “This sheriff from a West Texas county called,” Bryant said. “He had a strange case of a dead Latin man that had been found on a highway. The man had his hands and feet cut off and had been stabbed 21 times. After 6 months they still couldn’t identify him or even find out where he came from, but they were looking at Mexi co.” After Bryant tested the dirt and E ollen from the dead man’s clothes, e determined that the pollen on the man probably did not come from any place further south than Lubbock. Thus, Mexico was ruled out. So, he said, the tests narrowed their search to an area between Lub bock and Kansas City. Bryant has been involved in several other cases and said he enjoys helping to unravel unsolved crimes. “The best part is that you get to play Sherlock Holmes,” he said, eat ing a peanut — shell and all. “It’s the satisfaction of using your own knowl edge and the idea of solving the un- solvable.” Bike-to-Work (and School) Day on Friday Ride your bicycle to Freebirds World Burrito for a free burrito By Kevin Cochran Why did over D000 people in Austin get recognized for peddling their bikes to work recently? They participated in Austin's annual Bike-to-Work Day. Bicycle commuters in Austin and elsewhere realize the benefits associated with bicycle riding. Commuting to work by bicycle relaxes the central nervous system, improves mood and sharpens mental activity, while commuting by car raises blood pressure, low ers frustration tolerance and fos ters negative moods, a University of California study found. An estimated 50% of all auto mobile travel in the U.S. is for trips of less than five miles, which is also the most polluting distance for cars because the engine is cold during short trips. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, every 1% reduction in short car trips results in a 2% reduction in carbon monoxide pol lution. A national study by the Netherlands also estimates, that each motorist who uses a bike instead of a car for trips of three miles or less will save at least $500 per year-and save society road maintenance and other costs. "Current trends such as global warming, traffic congestion and dependence on imported oil neces sitate focusing on the bicycle as part of the transportation solu tion," says the U.S. Transportation Study Board. By commuting by bicycle more often, you can help Texas A&M be part of that solu tion. This Friday the Brazos Valley Cyclists (BVC) chapter of the Texas Bicycle Coalition will host Bryan- College Station's first annual Bike- to-Work (and School) Day. Participating restaurants will be serving free breakfasts to encour age you to commute by bicycle. In addition, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Freebirds will serve you a free reg ular burrito when you ride your bike to the restaurant on your way to or from school or work. Be sure to register for prizes and sign up for the Bike Day's rider- ship count. For more information on Bike-to-Work (and School) Day, call the BVC Hotline at 690-0570. When at Freebirds, look for the Bicycle Update Board which high lights progress in our mission for a bicycle-friendly Bryan-College Station. FREEBIRDS SBgBHIlBUBRITO 319 UNIVERSITY DRIVE, NORTHGATE Paid advertisement by Freebirds If You Have Something To Sell Remember: Classifieds Can Do It Call 845-0569 The Battalion ★ to rvi i cs ht ★ Wed X\p>ril 27 OPEN MIKE $0.25 draft Thur April 28 UGLY AMERICANS 3ff( YOUR FUTURE IS WAITING. The Air Force offers training that can prepare you for the future — in your choice of more than 150 different technical fields. Get the advanced training you need starting today — along with: • good pay • 30 days vacation with pay per year • complete medical & dental care • the chance to travel • opportunities to advance Explore your future in today’s Air Force. Call AIR FORCE OPPORTUNITIES ' TOLL FREE 1-800-423-USAF With HOTHOUSE FLOWERS as her backing band |\/|/\Y -4 DEAD HORSE ALL TICKETS AT MAROONED 846-0017 Go to a free screening of Mystery Science Theater 3000, the cable T.V. show that cuts cheesy i/ movies to pieces. Stranded in space, a guy and two robots sit through really o and make wisecracks. It's two solid hours of cheese. Without the nasty constipation. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27 AT 7:00 AND 9:30 PM RUDDER AUDITORIUM bad movies THE FIRST EIGHTY PEOPLE TO ARRIVE ALSO GET FREE T-SHIRTS COCA-COLA AND LEVI'S HAVE FREE STUFF, TOO. (These guys paid for it) The only all-comedy cable channelsM neon