ASUN – Page 9 – Insight Magazine

What Kind of a Shopaholic are You?

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1. How often do you buy new shoes?

A.) Every time I see a pair I like. I am out of control.

B.) Every few months or so. I might need a pair for a job, or I might treat myself to something I’ve had my eye on for a while and know I really want.

C.) Once a year. I wear the same pair all year until my mom buys me a new pair.

2. Would you rather buy sushi for dinner or buy a new outfit for a night downtown?

A.) Sushi, I have a closet full of clothes at home.

B.) Clothes, I gotta look fuego if I’m going to see Taylor tonight. (;

C.) Neither, I am allergic to fish, and I hate everyone.

3. You’re going to meet the Kardashians, what do you wear?

A.) The best I have I guess, but I just hope their asses are as big as they are in photos!!!

B.) OMG. I guess I have to charge all of Kylie’s cosmetics to my credit card. #RIPME but it HAS to be done.

C.) I’m meeting who?

4. The iPhone XXXtentacion (may he rest in peace, and live long in the hands of Apple users everywhere) is coming out. It costs $1,587. What do you do?

A.) Spend my money somewhere else. All of these phones do the same thing.

B.) I’m in line two days before it drops, Apple and I are one.

C.) #ANDROIDGANG

5. When you go grocery shopping, how much do you plan to spend?

A.) I don’t grocery shop. My mom sends me boxes of food, so I never have to leave the house.

B.) I aim to spend around $30 to $40 for the week, so that I can get the perfect amount of food and save money for Friday a.k.a my designated day to shop.

C.) I eat out for almost every meal, and if I don’t then I will probably lay in my bed and starve.

ADD UP YOUR SCORE

1.) a: +15; b: +10; c:+5

2.) a: +10; b: +15; c:+5

3.) a: +10; b: +15; c:+5

4.) a: +15; b: +10; c:+5

5.) a: +5; b: +15; c:+10

RESULTS:

25 points and below

You obviously have no interest in fashion, trends or even leaving the house. It is clear that you may have lived under a rock for at least a month and have rejoined society recently enough to venture out and find friends, but not enough to spend any money on them. You are dedicated to Netflix, school, work, and finding happiness in nature. You do spend money on some things, but it is very rare, and they are all practical purchases; ones that are necessary like toothpaste and condoms. You will probably be the person who rules the world and smites anyone who has done you dirty, especially the people who sent you to live under that rock.

26-50 points

You are mainly addicted to social spending, yet you are still spending just as much as the self-serving shopaholic above. While your purchases consist of In-N-Out, bowling shoes, movie tickets, tacos and beer it is apparent you aren’t repeatedly seeking out spending to your self gain, although you may still do so on an inconsistent, less indulgent scale. Then again, Nike just dropped the Veto 18’s fully animated with X’s covering a portrait of Trump on the bottom of the shoe, and you’re feeling awfully political on this particular day… #treatyoself

51 points and up

You are addicted to going into malls, pursuing the sale rack, and shopping day of for an event you heard about an hour ago. You realize that there is money in your bank account that can go towards better things, yet you still sip your Starbucks while slinging three shopping bags over your shoulder. Most of the things you buy are going to contribute to your positive self-esteem, and will let you look hot AF in that selfie you know you’re going to take. You never know when the world is going to end, so you might as well spend the money you have now while you still have it.

October 24, 2018

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Wolf Pack Radio Artist Spotlight: J Pike

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Crushing kicks, hissing hi-hats, and distorted synth leads fill the room when artist J Pike is behind the decks. Through an ear for aberrant sound, J Pike has been exhilarating Reno club-goers with his boisterous DJ sets and lively original tracks.

“I’m trying to be more than your average college DJ,” Pike said, “I’m trying to create a new experience for people.”

Beginning his musical journey as a freshman in high school, J Pike was highly influenced by Dubstep artists such as Skream and Mt Eden. Furthering his musical taste, Pike attended EDC in 2016 where Disclosure and Eric Prydz gave him a new perspective on house-based music. As J Pike’s interest in house music grew, so did his interest in tech house. J Pike cites Solid Grooves, La Pera, and Relief Records as labels who consistently provide his sets with tracks to fill the floor and get people moving.

“As I DJ more and more, my interest in labels has grown. I love massive tracks with banging drums and throbbing bass lines. I find that following labels allows me to narrow the sounds for my sets and find new artists I wouldn’t be able to just by scrolling through Beatport,” Pike said.

During his time at UNR, J Pike hosted “One Deeper” on Wolf Pack Radio where listeners were greeted by a plethora of dance genres and styles. Recently, however, you can meet Pike at the club where he will be playing only the freshest of tracks. J Pike’s commitment to keeping club attendees on their toes with various styles and sub-genres is no surprise due to his yearning to push dance music forward into the future.

“If you want to hear music your comfortable with, stay home,” Pike said.

Pushing people out of their comfort zones and into a new realm of reality has certainly been a steeple of dance music, especially tech house, since its conception. J Pike aims to expose listeners to a plethora of new songs and sounds acting as a gatekeeper for people to escape reality. Pike’s ability to read a room showcases his wide variety of interests: every set is different and will showcase another intricate aspect of J Pike’s musical prowess.

In addition to DJing, J Pike’s productions have been gaining notoriety due to his use of “scary” sounds and chugging drum tracks. Pike’s track titled “Backseat Beat” offers tribal drums, rolling bass, and fierce synth stabs. J Pike utilizes a Novation Bass Station which energizes tracks through thick analog tones guaranteed to fill any sonic space.

J Pike has been lighting up the dance floors of the Reno club scene often appearing at venues such as 1Up. For further information regarding show dates and times, please consult J Pike’s Instagram and Twitter @JPIKEMUSIC

October 24, 2018

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Movie Review: Venom

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Venom begins with a classic alien horror vibe. Parasitic (or symbiotic, depending on who you ask) alien creatures have crash landed and gotten loose on Earth. The first half of this movie is thrilling and coherent. But only the first half. The movie quickly loses sense of what genre it wants to be, and what story it wants to tell.

The movie starts to fall apart when, after Venom has fused with Eddie, there is an entirely unnecessary car chase scene wherein Venom does a lot of tricks on a motorcycle for what feels like 20 minutes. The threads of the plot just unravel from there.

The one character that truly shines throughout the film is the head of the Life Foundation, Carlton Drake. His creepy calm demeanor only breaks occasionally to reveal his Machiavellian core. Still, Venom is not quite worth the ticket price. I’d wait until you can stream this one.

October 22, 2018

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From Typewriter to Bookshelf

By ASUNbooksNo Comments

Picking up a book can take so little effort, yet the process of writing may have taken a lifetime of determination. The process of writing a book takes immense focus, but actually getting the book published requires perseverance. The steps are numerous and tiresome.

A disclaimer to remember is that every publishing procedure is, and will be, different. This article is just a collection of tips, tricks, and opinions to help give ideas and inspiration for book writing.

There are various routes of publishing: mainly self-publishing and trade publishing. Knowing more about the industry helps to gain footing in the publication process.

Self-publishing involves the work being published by the author themself, instead of a publishing company.

Recently, Amazon Kindle has opened up their own route of self-publishing by allowing their members to use Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing to upload digital copies of their own book. This process is completely free and allows blooming writers to push their work out into the online world for millions to read, while also giving the author a chance to earn royalty income.

While self-publishing gives the author more reign over decisions about their book, the book will have fewer sales due to only being exposed to a smaller book market.

Trade publishing is the traditional form of publication that society is most familiar with.

There are five top traditional publishing companies in the industry. They are Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House, and Simon and Schuster.

It is very difficult to be accepted by these large companies right off the bat. The pros and cons of trade publishing is directly opposite of self-publishing. Trade publishing allows the book and author to have more prestige, but the author loses a lot of their control over the product.

Upcoming authors can also attract attention for themselves and their work by creating a media platform, according to the Balance Careers. By building blogs, social media pages, and more, authors can gain more recognition for their brand from the public and from publications. The more well known an author is, the more likely a publisher will work with them.

Sending in work to publishing companies may seem like an easy task, but the stress that follows afterwards is daunting. To catch the publisher’s eye, a book proposal or manuscript has to be nearly perfect. A minor flaw, as seen in the work by the author, might derail the proposal for the publisher.

Experts in the writing business have an ever changing list of tips and tricks they have gathered. One of the morals an author must keep when undergoing this process is keeping their individuality. By compromising too much with their publisher, the writer loses their own creative touch in their work.

A writer should expect rejection when sending out their proposals, but they should not let it discourage them. Being rejected should be viewed as a learning process where an author can look at their work and analyze why it was vetoed.

A common mistake in the business is thinking an author must have a literary agent in order to get published. While it is definitely helpful for building credibility and status, a writer doesn’t need a literary agent to become successful.

The most basic necessity for proposing a book or even writing one is to use clear communication. An author must be able to get their point across in their book poetically without confusing their readers.

After publication, an author might face judgement surrounding their work. Criticism may be taken harshly, but it is better to use it as feedback for the next time. Analyzing these harsh comments about your work can show you what to avoid for your next work.

Being an writer may seem to be a fun way to make a living, but it takes a lot of living to become a great author. It is a constant learning process that never ends no matter how established that author may be.

October 19, 2018

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Students of Nevada

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Every day on campus you pass by random strangers. Perhaps you’ve seen them before or maybe not. Ever wonder who they are and what their life is like? Each student at the University of Nevada, Reno has a story to tell. Each has a unique life, perspective, and outlook not only as a student but each as a person with different life experiences. Take a look at the second series of Students of Nevada. A project that snapshots the lives of randomly selected people here on campus.

I have a pottery studio in my garage. I basically just like playing in mud.

-Jillian Walmsley

I want to be in PR because I think it’d be really cool. I don’t know exactly what they do, I’m trying to figure that out. I think it’s funny because my older brother actually graduated from the J-School and I didn’t know what his degree was until I declared mine. So he told me a little bit about it and I actually thoroughly enjoy it.

-Brooke Enochson

I’m a fourth year engineering student. I helped start FarmHouse Fraternity because I think fraternities should be non-secretive, community based and helpful. We’re holding a philanthropy event to raise money for leukemia research on October 11th.

-Brett McMahan

My name is Leo. I’m a freshman and I’m a political science major. So far, I’m having a lot more fun here than I did in high school. Oh, and I’m single.

-Leo Thai

I’m a neuroscience major. I’m in musical therapy club, so I like playing music and stuff like that. I wish everybody in the STEM majors would be a little more open. I think it’s too competitive; it’s very cutthroat. I think everybody should just relax and enjoy themselves more.

-Ivan Lopez

I started drinking at the age of 14–just having a beer here and there. At 15, I went and studied abroad in Germany for a couple months and that really blew my mind. I love alcohol, but not college binge-drinking; I like to enjoy it. I’d like more people to understand that drinking is a privilege. If people started drinking at a younger age, but it was controlled, it wouldn’t be as dangerous when they started driving.

-Eric Banavong

I went to Australia on a USA Golfing Team. I got the nomination, and it went to [my] school and everything, and at first I was like, “Are you sure you got the right person?” I started my freshman year, so as a junior to be able to do that showed how much work I put into it, so that was really cool.

-Holly Kulh

I’m an international affairs major. I like that teachers here always give both sides to the story. But they’re also open to having conversations about what’s going on.

-Sabrina Nuttall

I’m just here trying to get an education because I have a five year old son and I really want to show him that we can make the world a better place and we don’t just have to stay stagnant. He deserves progress.

-Grace Leval

October 12, 2018

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