The Awakening of a Generation

This week, my generation finally took a stand.

The media has reported several reasons for this huge demonstration in our capital city. The principal cause cited was an objection to the potential re-introduction of university fees. Of course, many demonstrators themselves held this as the solitary cause for the protest and must be identified as the main reason for the strong turnout.

Indeed, an interesting cross-section of society made up this group of demonstrators. We had government supporters, anarchists, country and city dwellers, revolutionaries, drunks and students of all kinds. This diversity created a vibrant atmosphere of hope and unity. But the issue of fees pales in comparison to the real significance of this demonstration.

What this unity represents, was the real effect of the march. We can no longer be painted as a jaded and apathetic generation. If an injustice emerges, we will face it head on as a strong and driven group. We may have problematic elements in our generation, but we can deal with them and strive to create a society of tolerance while retaining a strong sense of morality and justice.

As we demonstrated in the city centre this week, the government would do well to support us - for we will inherit these streets.

-The English Student

Blur versus Oasis

With the release of a new Oasis album, an age-old and epic debate has re-emerged: who is better, Blur or Oasis?

The English Student strives to place biases and tendencies to one side when writing. It is essential that one's moral principles are upheld by strong, even-handed foundations of empathy. To argue a point, one must view the argument from all sides and weigh all points fairly and equitably. This is justice, this is integrity and indeed, this is the cornerstone of these short compositions.

However, I must (temporarily, of course) step down from these lofty and pretentious heights in order to highlight an absolute truth: Oasis are terrible. They have been playing the same insipid songs for the past fifteen years and every time they release something "new", the bile rises a little higher in my gullet. Perhaps if the band had some originality or creativity, or some respect for other musicians, or even the tiniest hint of manners, I would find them less repulsive. But even then, I'm quite sure that the obnoxious scowl of Liam Gallagher would be enough to disgust me.

Fortunately, for every evil in this world, we often find a good. Moriarty had his Holmes, Ganon had his Link, Nadal has his Federer and Oasis have their Blur. In contrast to the aforementioned talentless thugs, Blur have managed to keep their music fresh and vibrant while maintaining a very high quality of production. I truly love their intricate, fun and profound music. Every album from the band shows a new side to their interesting and creative work, while side projects and solo recordings themselves trump anything provided by the rotting septic tank that is Oasis.

Comrades, rise up and be counted! We must stop pandering to these worn out hacks and finally shovel their putrid discography onto the dung heap!

-The English Student

The Prefect: Book Review

The “Space Operas” of Alastair Reynolds have recently drawn my attention. In particular, the Revelation Space series seems to offer a reprieve to the problems found in many science fiction novels.

In my latest science fiction binge, I have been clamouring for a classic. I was beginning to think that this classic did not exist and that I would continue to flounder amongst the mediocre characterisation and shallow plotlines that fill the ocean of this genre. The Prefect, however, is a beacon of excellence in both of these areas.

The Prefect follows the story of a policing force centred within The Glitter Band - a sprawling collection of 10,000 colonies revolving around planet Yellowstone. The vastness of the setting is indicative of the immense depth of the novel itself. Indeed, an impression is created that there is a story on each of these habitats just waiting to be told. The plot weaves throughout many of these colonies and the riveting parallel plots on these places are brought together with real literary mastery. It is not long before the reader is entranced by the immense detective story that unfolds at an enticing pace.

The plot depth is further bolstered by the layered and compelling characters. It is possible to empathise with all the characters (or at least all the human ones!) of the novel and this greatly enhances its’ appeal. By creating these ambiguous and realistic characters, Reynolds engages in debates on the issues of democracy, law and free will to name but a few. More importantly, these discussions are adequately detailed and expanded on.

Science Fiction is a genre that many exercise, but few excel at. Alastair Reynolds is one of these few and this is evident in The Prefect.

-The English Student

In Defence of a National Monument

Once again I recently found myself defending the newest landmark of our capital city's skyline.

This sculpture was erected at a time when public dissatisfaction with the health system and national infrastructure was particularly high. People berated the government for using funds in an apparently frivolous manner and ignoring the problems of the country. “Decadent”, “vain” and “pointless”, how could the leaders of our country support such a waste of tax money?

But this monument was the first significant instance of public spending in order to boost national pride. This sculpture marks a determined effort to defend our individuality that has been under threat by globalisation. With the decline of our national language and cultural heritage, an icon was absolutely essential to awaken the zeal of the people. Surely this is a cause worthy of such once-off capital expenditure?

Even beyond this, by bolstering national pride more impetus is created for social change. The aforementioned health and services issues become more personal and therefore more important due to this increased cultural identity. With such icons, we can advance both aesthetically and materially, while keeping our national individuality. In short, cultural pride is intrinsically linked to all national issues.

For these effects to take place however, we must embrace this monument as a symbol of our emergence into a modern world.

-The English Student

Spore - An Artistic Medium

The long awaited Spore was finally released on PC recently. Will Wright and Maxis have long described this game as their masterpiece.

Unfortunately, in many respects this game falls short of such high expectations. The product has received mixed reviews from gamers who believe it to be lacking in depth. In addition to this, the deplorable Data Rights Management stance taken by the publisher has caused many to ask why the consumer is being treated like a criminal. In short, Spore has not been received as well as Wright would have hoped.

However, it is my opinion that these game play and publishing problems have taken all attention away from moments of true excellence found in Spore. At the core of the game is the editors. These sections allow a player to customise their own species, buildings, vehicles and even spaceships that can be used in the game. Every shape can be resized, rotated and reworked to the players liking and a highly customisable painting section is available to finish the production. The development team has created a masterstroke with this tool by making it intuitive and easy to use without sacrificing the vast depth of possible creations.

In addition to this, all pieces created by a player are sent to a central server where they are on view for others and automatically get placed into their game. When playing through the campaign, it is common to stumble into all sorts of player generated content. For example, my peace loving, semi-amphibious species was under siege by a a vicious group of walking chainsaws that were created by another player. Luckily, a 200 foot tall incarnation of Trogdor managed to distract them long enough for my apple-munching fish men to get away. This unpredictable variety is simply exhilarating to behold.

Many detractors of Spore have failed to comprehend that this is not an average video game. Instead, Spore is a revolution in creative expression and a truly new artistic medium.

-The English Student

Horizons: Book Review

Mary Rosenblum's Horizons epitomises some of the best aspects of science fiction, but also some of the worst failings of the genre.

The best writing in this area combines idealistic and original fiction about our future with real life human issues. As a fellow student once remarked, good sci-fi is appealing due to the fact that it does not need a science fiction setting. The only way we can truly appreciate any novel is if it appeals to something that is intrinsic to our existence.

So the question is, does Horizons adhere to this high standard of science fiction? The first half of this novel had me believing that this was a masterpiece unfolding before me and I would certainly have said yes to that question. There is an excellent combination of politics, genetics, psychology, sociology and even philosophy played out through the likeable main characters. The personal relationships that develop are also well paced and believable.

However, it seems that Rosenblum was simply unable to reconcile these vast issues within this novel. The author intends to deal with a plethora of human issues, but in doing so fails to deal with any of them sufficiently. The lack of foreshadowing for some of the final issues contributes to this confusion and destroys the excellent pacing of the earlier chapters. If her focus had not been too diffuse, if she had not relied on pointless "deus ex machina" and if she had expanded the novel to a more appropriate length, Rosenblum could have written a classic.

These are big "if"s however and they do not distract from the fact that this is a disappointing novel.

-The English Student

Re-Introduction of University Fees

Recently, the topic of 3rd level fees has arisen once more in public life.

With the media consistently creating fear of a looming recession, people (and government officials) are naturally looking at all areas of the country in a bid to cut back public spending. It became apparent quite recently that one particular 3rd level institution is fifteen million euro in debt as thing stand. When this is coupled with the increasing pay rises given to university staff, it is very obvious that some reform is necessary.

A flat rate of payment for college students is not the answer. This would simply populate our universities with high income students and close the doors to others. Instead, the government should look at the income of students when they leave college and charge a certain percentage of this figure as payment to the university they attended. This would provide substantial income for the colleges and prevent anyone going into debt during their student years.

As a student, one could easily assume that I am fully against the re-introduction of these fees. Indeed, were they to come back, I would be unable to pay them and would have to rely on student finance from the government and banks. But even with this in mind, it is not so difficult to see the necessity of at least some form of fees.

If we are to be charged for our education, it should at least be when we can afford it.

-The English Student