The Battalion
%esdayjune 17, 1997
rivia trend: Students take challenge
Local bars and restaurants offer a little
friendly competition
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By Rhonda Reinhart
The Battalion
P eople who can only dream of competing on “Jeopardy"
can test their knowledge at local bars and restaurants.
NTN Communications Inc., based in Carlsbad, Cali
fornia, provides interactive trivia games to establishments
throughout the United States and Canada via satellite.
Bryan-College Station venues participating in the network
include Bullwinkles, Fox and Hound and Duddley’s Draw,
among others.
Judy Piercey, director of marketing communications
t for NTN, said the company is the leading provider of in
teractive games in a hospitality environment.
“We really have no competition,” she said. “We’ve done
a good job. The other companies that have tried to compete
with us have gone out of business.”
Piercey said NTN attracts people and makes them want
to return.
Bruce Goodner, a senior English major, said the game can
be addictive.
“My friends and I play about once a week on average,
but I do notice regulars who are always playing,” he
said. “It’s probably more addictive for males because of
the need to compete.”
Casey Hamry, a Duddley’s Draw bartender, said
many people come in every day and play trivia.
“I don’t think a lot of these people have any other lives oth
er than racking up points,” she said. “It’s kind of scary. They
usually get here about 6 o’clock, and some stay all night.”
Hamry said on an average night all the bar’s game boxes
are being used, and there are names on a waiting list.
Piercey said the games are popular because they are fun
and different.
“Our games make you very social,” she said. “You’re not
just sitting there drinking. You’re actually using your brain.
It creates a ‘Cheers’-like atmosphere, where everybody knows
your name.”
Goodner said he likes playing trivia because it is something
a group of people can do.
“You get more involved than if you were playing pool or
something,” he said. “With pool, you can only play with a few
people, but playing trivia lets you compete with the entire
bar. Plus, playing pool requires a lot more money and a lot
more skill.”
Players Plus is a program where players can save up points
over a period of time to compete for cash and prizes.
Piercey said there are people who have earned millions of points
through Players Plus, which started about four years ago.
“We have a lot of loyal players,” she said. “Suprisingly,
prizes aren’t the motivating factors. Their points are their
bragging rights.”
Goodner said he doesn’t play enough to win anything.
“I just like to see how many of the questions I really know,” he
said. “The questions really challenge your overall knowledge,
and I like competing with people from all over.”
Hamry said some people get in groups and share answers.
“Some of the people who play all the time get together to
boost the bar’s ranking, and at times, Duddley’s has been
number one in the country,” she said.
Every Thursday night starting June 26, trivia players will have
the chance to compete for $1 million in NTN’s Million Dollar
Match. The game runs for 10 weeks, and the finals will be held
in San Diego.
Piercey called it “a trivia game with a twist.”
NTN also offers games for sports lovers. During football
season, there is QB 1, and Diamond Ball runs during base
ball season.
“The company produces and provides over 50 different
games for about 3000 restaurants throughout the United
States,” Piercey said. “We have 15 million players per month,
and we offer something for everyone.”
Foos fight sophomore slump album
Foo Fighters
fhe Colour and the
Shape
Capital Records
(out of five)
11111
By Len Callaway
The Battalion
Vie Colour and the Shape, the new full-length re
lease and sophomore effort from the Foo Fighters
was certainly a long-awaited surprise. It just has
Nproved to be the type of surprise that most people
P'oy receiving.
According to Foo Fighters lead singer and Nirvana
â– drummer Dave Grohl, "This album really tells the
'hole story.”
It begins with “Doll,” a song about being scared of the
•uknown. The next 11 songs deal with guilt, love and the
»in of losing someone. The album runs the gamut to
HewWay Home,” which is meant to be the resolution.
Grohl said it first: This is an album full of 12 emo-
tonal doozies.
Grohl recently divorced his wife and is now re-
Wedly seeing Louise Post fromVeruca Salt. The
livorce is probably a fundamental reason for the
umber tone and introspective lyrics. One may re
st the random and odd nature of the lyrics on the
tf-titled Foo Fighters album. The Colour and the
Vetakes on a different emotional undertone
fen its predecessor.
Grohl spends most of his time on this album either
ping off a deluge of angry screaming reminiscent of a
San with an untreated psychological problem or he
bides his time with self pitying melodrama.
Grohl and fellow Foos invited Gil Norton, of Pixies
fame, to produce The Colour and the Shape and, as a
result, the album has a trendy radio-ready sound. One
may notice that the album sounds over-produced and
almost generic.
Filled with heartfelt and emotional melodies blended
with hardcore maniacal screams, this album tends to
leave the listener a bit confused.
After a thorough listening, it becomes apparent that the
album is about love, but Grohl’s message is unclear.
One thing about this new album is for certain —
Grohl does not sound like Kurt Cbbain, but the Foo
Fighters’ music does sound a lot like Nirvana. The quiet
beginnings full of harmony and melody are followed by
primal screaming blended with that unmistakable Nir
vana guitar/drum combination. Grohl was an original
member of Nirvana and allows its unique sound to live
on in some capacity — it’s just not the capacity some
listeners may prefer.
“My Hero” is a song about how difficult it is for one to
uncover the fact that their hero is merely human, and
leaves one wondering whether tiffs song is about Cobain or
simply about the woman alluded to in the rest of the songs.
The self-titled release was greeted by thousands of
Nirvana fans, and the Foos were lauded as best new
artists, best new video, etc. The Colour and the Shape
was greeted with the same enthusiasm, but has been
spoken about negatively to some degree because of the
harsh emotional undertones. No one enjoys being re
minded how badly love can hurt, and album sales have
declined accordingly.
On a more positive note, despite the performance of
the album, Grohl should be applauded for laying it all on
the line and putting forth the effort to produce a quality
second album.
The addition of Gil Norton as a producer and the infu
sion of heartfelt lyrics by Grohl makes the listener appre
ciate the effort, if not the sound.
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Foo Fighters
COMPUTER REPAIR & SUPPORT
College Station Facility
DCS continues to grow with more than 2000 clients nationwide. We sell and support powerful
systems including PC’s, CRT’s, printers, modems, controllers, mainframes, and many other
devices. Current open positions require formal electronics training and an interest in the computer
industry. The following positions require relocation to our multimillion dollar expansion site in
Bryan/College Station.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT: Will provide ongoing, daily support regarding the repair and
maintenance of customized computer systems to our technicians and client base. Duties also
involve testing and researching hardware issues relating to all UCS equipment. Associate’s
degree or military electronics training is required.
BENCH TECHNICIAN TRAINER: Will involve component level repair of all UCS peripheral
equipment at our College Station facility. No travel involved. All tools and scopes provided.
Associate’s degree or Military electronics training is required.
HARDWARE TECHNICIAN TRAINER: Will involve developing and conducting training programs
for incoming UCS hardware technicians. Should possess knowledge of electronics and an interest
in teaching. Degree preferred.
HARDWARE TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION: Will involve writing, editing, support and
Production of hardware publications. Bachelor’s degree is preferred. Any knowledge of Interleaf,
Photoshop or Windows software would be helpful.
All offer full salary plus a benefits package including medical, dental and vision insurance, direct
deposit, 401k and semi-annual performance evaluations. UCS promotes a healthy lifestyle by
sponsoring a variety of sports events and hiring only non-tobacco users. EOE.
fofind out more about these opportunities, please call or submit resume to:
Universal Computer Systems, Inc.
Attn, ad# 486
6700 Hollister, Houston, TX 77040
1-800-883-3031, fax (713) 718-1401
http ://ww w. u cs-sy ste m s. co m
Gaming INiglit
at Hullabaloo
Come join us for an evening of FREE bowling,
FREE pool, and FREE refreshments at Hullabaloo
in the Memorial Student Center!!
June 17 from 7 PM - 10 PM.
Food Services,
^rr MSC-NOVA
Sponsored by
TAVS, Inc.,
University Center Complex,
TAMU Bookstore, and Residence
Life & Housing.
Persons with disabilities please call us at (409) 845-1 51 5 so that we may assist you at
the even^.
PROFITABLE NUMBER! 845-0569 The Battalion Classified Advertising