By: Liv Kleiber & Salome Meyer
Category Archives: Entertainment
Movie review of ‘The Truman Show’
By: Norah Hoglund
*Warning: This review contains spoilers.
Brief Summary
Essentially, the plot of ‘The Truman Show’ is that a TV company adopted Truman as a baby and are filming his entire life through hidden cameras all over this island that he lives on. The whole thing is a set. He does not know this. He thinks he is just a regular guy. The producers staged Truman’s dad dying, which made him afraid to ever touch the water or even go over a bridge.
The reason he first became suspicious was that he saw his father dressed as a homeless man, many years after he died, which was, of course, the same actor that had snuck back onto the set. Truman begins to pay more attention to everything and realizes everyone is paying attention to him and doing everything for him. He has to find a way to trick the cameras and escape the island.
Review
‘The Truman Show’ is not a typical movie. The plot is very creative and the movie is a little bit unsettling and weird, but I like that about it. I also liked how captivating it was. I found myself on the edge of my seat a lot because Truman was so close to finding out the truth. I felt a lot of empathy for him because everyone was trying to make him think he was going crazy and he had just lived a whole life of mental manipulation.
I wish that they would have included more about what happened to Truman after he escaped the show, because I wanted to see him reunite with the girl he fell in love with but the movie did not go that far.
Something that didn’t make sense to me was how the producer of the show wanted Truman to come back to the show after he knew the truth. What would be the point of the show then? The viewers only liked it because Truman was not acting and he was real and authentic. I don’t understand why he was talking to Truman and trying to convince him to return to the island.
Overall, this was a very good and intriguing movie. I rate it an 8.5/10.
You can watch ‘The Truman Show’ on Amazon Prime.
The role of back propagation in a machine learning algorithm
By: Ivy Dahl
An algorithm is a series of steps to complete a task.
A machine learning algorithm is a computer program composed of many individual, yet interconnected parts that perform a series of steps involving numbers and the guided transformations of them to achieve a specific goal, without being given an explicit direction. Back propagation is one of those parts. It’s a journey from one number to another, calculating the error of a specific guess.
Imagine a bunch of data points on a graph, given to the back propagation algorithm by some previous part of the general machine learning algorithm, all spaced apart so that a line would have to be placed along them to connect them. Approximating a line that would fit all those points evenly, finding the medium, is a difficult task. An objective numerical way is the squared distance between a given curve and the data points. This is called a loss. The fitted curve with a high loss suggests the data points are far from the currently generated curve indicating a bad approximation. Low losses indicate a better fit as the currently generated curve closely aligns with the data points, making it a more accurate approximation.
A function could represent a line.
But a constant function wouldn’t fit this line by itself. Neither would an exponential function. But what if you put them together? And added another? You can think of this collection of functions like a toolbox that is already equipped with these functions, but still in need of a perfect coefficient to bend it to fit the line as close as possible. The goal is to find the combination of coefficients that outputs the best fitting line. The best fitting line is defined as the line with the combination of k’s that yield the lowest loss. Each k represents a random number.
Y(x) =k(0) + k1x + k2x + k3x + k4x
X constructs a curve, Y calculates the loss function of it and outputs one number, the loss, then plugs these numbers back into the general equation for the curve. Now it can start going through the numbers in order to find the minimum loss. This will lead to finding the distance between data points and the current generated curve repeatedly.
But can we make this prediction without going through countless trial and errors? Differentiability is good for fast finding of optimal number combinations. We do this by focusing on one random k coefficient on a coordinate graph. We are trying to find which value of k results in the lowest loss individually.
Knowing the local behavior of a function only, we are blind to all other points. Adjust x. This new adjusted input of x will result in a new value for y which will retain the same amount of change as x was changed. There will be a line connecting x and y and when you take smaller steps it will continue to more accurately align with the optimal line configuration, creating a tangent line between the x point and y point.The steepness of this tangent line is its rate of change, indicating a change in the curve that it’s aligning with.
Now let’s say you do this for every one of the coefficients individually. This gives multiple sets of these slopes that can be compared to the larger set of complex slopes coming together to form a line. These two sets of slopes will coincide. You might not be able to recreate a complex line like this, but if you break it into smaller slopes, it’s easier to approximate the individual slopes to the original, and put them all together once done to recreate the line with the lowest loss.
This is a brief description of how back propagation is an integral part of a machine learning algorithm by taking a specific set of inputs from somewhere else in the algorithm and creating the best fitting curve for it, so that curve can be passed forward to another part of the machine learning algorithm.
‘The Hate U Give’ movie review
By: KiMiya Eason & Ci’Niyah Taylor
Brownie recipe review
By: Norah Hoglund
Brownies are one of my favorite desserts. I love chocolate pastries and a good brownie is one of my favorite things ever. I have made many different recipes and today I am reviewing a recipe from Baker by Nature.
Link to the recipe: here
Review
This recipe made really good brownies all around. The top was crackly, just like it was advertised. They were very fudgy in the middle, but not undercooked. The edges were very crispy, which is good for the edge piece kind of people. I really enjoyed the chocolate chips that were mixed into the batter. They added a very nice texture to contrast the pastry texture. The chocolate flavor was strong, but it was still very sweet. As the brownies cooled, the edges got a bit more crispy. I personally prefer softer edges, but some people like them crispier. These brownies were really great overall and would go great with vanilla ice cream. I would rate them a 9/10 overall.
Recipe
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (43g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional (don’t use if you don’t like coffee)
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons (28ml) oil canola, vegetable, or coconut will work
- 1 and 1/3 cups (265g) granulated sugar divided
- 2 large large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract optional, but recommended
- 3/4 cup (128 grams) chocolate chips
instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) (175 degreed C). Line an 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Spray lightly with non-stick baking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Set aside until needed.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, oil, and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until butter is completely melted. Remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla (if using) and remaining sugar. Whisk until well combined, about 30 seconds.
- Slowly, pour the warm butter mixture into the egg mixture, adding it very gradually (a little bit at a time) and whisking constantly until completely combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips and, using a rubber spatula, slowly stir until just combined.
- *Do not over mix! Stop stirring when you see the last trace of dry ingredients. Over mixing will give you cakey brownies.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 28 (to 30 minutes) or until the edges are firm and the top is shiny and slightly cracked.
- Place pan on a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.
Would You Rather?
By: Elijah Davis & Dalton Haas
In which the question: “Would you rather save your pet or your car?” is asked.
Part I
Part II
The ‘Barbie’ movie
By Kate Tabor
The ‘Barbie’ movie, directed by Greta Gerwig, is surrounded by a lot of controversy. For some reason, the exact point the movie was trying to make, went over so many people’s heads.
The movie itself is about the female experience, to put it simply. The societal expectations, the unfair standards women are held to, and the hardships that we as women all face and are not given enough credit for.
Most of the criticism about this woman is centered around the idea that Barbie is a doll with big boobs, and that’s it. She’s something to look at, something for young girls to be inspired by. What’s funny about that idea is the fact that when young girls actually are inspired by Barbie, or any other female icon, they’re criticized for it and beaten down.
What Greta Gerwig has done with the ‘Barbie Movie’ has made so many women and girls feel seen. She actually took Barbie, the women that so many women and young girls look up to, and had her experience what real women and girls experience. She captured exactly what it feels like to be a woman.
Not only that, but she turned it around in order for Barbie, what a lot see as just a pretty doll, and had her be inspired by a real human woman. What I’m trying to get across here, is that no matter who you are, as a woman in this society, you’re going to feel put down by society and its expectations of you. You could be the most beautiful and biggest female icon in the world, and still feel like you’re not enough.
This, of course, is not the only point that stands out in the movie, and most certainly is not the main point Greta was trying to get at, but it’s a very good one.
No matter how beautiful and great and special you are as a woman, which every woman is, there are always men, and sometimes women, who will try to tear you down. All you need to remember is that every single woman feels the exact same way as you.
History of the Renaissance
By: Fletcher Pike
If you’ve ever seen famous artworks such as the ‘Mona Lisa’, or ‘The Last Supper’, you may have noticed that they have similar art styles. This is because these paintings were made in the Renaissance era.
But some might ask, “What exactly was the Renaissance?”
The Renaissance era was a period in European civilization following the Middle Ages, from the 14th century to the 17th century. This era featured a revival in learning and innovations, as the Middle Ages was seen as a time of cultural decline in education and politics. Renaissance is a French word that means “rebirth”, which correlates to the fact that the Renaissance revived ideas and values from the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans.
The Renaissance is mostly associated with the city of Florence in Italy, though many other countries underwent similar cultural changes. Many famous people from this era were born in Italy, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Christopher Columbus, and Galileo. Other famous non-Italian people from this era include Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare.
A large part of the Renaissance was a cultural movement known as humanism. Humanism is a philosophy that every person should strive to become educated in classical art, science, and literature. Humanists held a belief that humankind was rational and beautiful rather than sinful and weak. The humanists celebrated the beauty in life and the achievements of their scholarship.
This iconic era created some of the most popular art, coming in forms of statues, paintings, drawings, and literature. It could also be majorly found in architecture, such as the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, created by Michelangelo.
The impacts of the Renaissance can still be seen today, and was an overall important era for society due to its advancements in knowledge, philosophy, and art.
Review of ’13 Going on 30′
By: Sasha Deans
*Warning: this review contains spoilers
’13 Going on 30′ is a romantic comedy and a coming-of-age movie that I really enjoyed watching. It’s about a teenage girl named Jenna Rink who feels awkward and unhappy on her 13th birthday. She’s not popular and just wants to fit in with the “cool kids” at school. At her kind of terrible birthday party, she makes a wish to skip all the hard and embarrassing parts of being a teenager and become “thirty, flirty, and thriving.” Then something magical happens and when she wakes up the next morning, she’s suddenly 30 years old, living in a big fancy apartment in New York City, in the year 2004!
At first, Jenna is super excited. She has a glamorous job at a fashion magazine, lots of stylish clothes, and everyone seems to think she’s super cool. But as she starts living her adult life, she realizes that being grown-up isn’t as perfect as she thought. Even though she has success and money, she also became a person she doesn’t like, someone mean, selfish, and not very nice to others and someone she just never wanted to be or thought she would be. She lost touch with her family and even with her best childhood friend, Matt Flamhaff.
Jenna finds Matt again, and even though he’s all grown up too, she realizes how important he was to her. He reminds her what it’s like to be kind, to love someone, and to be true to yourself and be a good person. She starts to wish she could go back and make better choices. Things get even more emotional when she realizes that she’s fallen in love with Matt all over again but he’s already engaged to someone else!
In the end, Jenna gets another magical chance. She goes back to being 13 again, right after she made the wish. This time, she doesn’t make the same mistakes. She makes different choices and stays close to Matt. The movie ends with a sweet and happy flash-forward where Jenna and Matt are all grown up and getting married. It’s a really nice ending that shows how second chances can change everything.
Some important themes in the movie are:
- Be careful what you wish for: growing up too fast isn’t always a good thing.
- Stay true to yourself: popularity and success don’t matter if you lose who you are.
- Friendship and love are more important than fame and popularity.
- People can change and it’s never too late to try and make things right.
I think ’13 Going on 30′ is funny, sweet, and kind of magical. It teaches some really good lessons, but it also has fun music, cool clothes, and funny moments. I would recommend it to teenagers and adults and kids of the 90s because they would definitely relate because it shows how growing up isn’t always what you expect, and being a good person matters more than anything.
You can watch ’13 Going on 30′ on Netflix.
The Empyrean series review
By: Teagan Mack
The Empyrean book series, written by Rebecca Yarros, is one of the most popular, and spoken of, fantasy book series since 2023. This series is a blend of fantasy, romance, and military adventures, capturing the attention of millions of readers worldwide. This story follows a young woman named Violet Sorrengail, who was forced to join an elite dragon-riding military war college, even though she was never trained for it.
This article may contain spoilers so read at your own risk.
The first book, ‘Fourth Wing’, was released in May 2023 and made its way up the charts quickly. It follows Violet’s journey into Basgiath War College, where she has to train hard to become a dragon rider, or die trying. Violet made friends and found old ones, found love, and with that came secrets and enemies. Her friends are amazing and really loyal, and she also became friends with the marked ones (they are basically the children of the enemies from a previous war, it’s kind of hard to explain) who are feared throughout Basgiath.
From the words of Ms. Pischke “It sucks you in the first 2 pages, then it sends you on this wild journey of heartbreak and there’s tears and a lot of emotion. I’m impatiently waiting for the 4th book.” The book has a mix of high end battles, magical dragons, and forbidden romance, going viral and selling over 2.7 million copies in its first week.
The second book, ‘Iron Flame’, came out just a few months later in November of 2023, continuing Violet’s story at the war college. In this book, Violet faces new enemies, more secrets, and amazing character development. Every rider is bonded to one dragon and earns powers from their dragons called signets. Violet has a different story though, she bonded with not one but two dragons, and has one of the most powerful signets that hasn’t been seen in centuries.
Throughout ‘Iron Flame’ Violet finds out more about her dragons, bonds, signets, and about how special the marked ones are. Evie Beetle says “I really like how the author writes the plot and action and the characters. The bonds. The writing makes the readers seem engaged. I feel connected to the characters which are different for me. I never read a fantasy book before this and it changed my perspective. There’s a good balance of action and emotion and character development.”
The third book, ‘Onyx Storm’, is the most recent book, coming out January 21, 2025. Even though this book series focuses on Violet and her journey, it also shows more about side characters like Violet’s friends, Xaden Riorson (her boyfriend) and their dragons. This book follows more of her second bonded dragon Andarna, and the history of the dragons. In the first book it is known that everyone gains one signet, and there are 6 breeds/colors of dragons, black being the rarest. Not only did Violet bond with the second biggest black dragon on the continent, but she also bonded with a mysterious little black dragon, who we later find out is a 7th breed of dragon who can basically camouflage and select their scale colors.
Readers are shaken by every plot twist and surprise these books bring, and after Rebecca Yarros announced that it was made to be a 5 book series. There are many theories about what the 4th book brings.
Rebecca Yarros, the author, is an amazing writer, getting readers hooked on the plot and each and every character, whether we like them or not. Yarros has a plan for every character and isn’t afraid to get rid of them, like we experience in the first book. Yarros has experience as a military spouse and lives with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a chronic illness that inspired parts of Violet’s character. In the acknowledgments at the back of ‘Onyx Storm’ she thanks her husband, because while writing this book she was struggling a lot, and he helped her through everything.
During her ‘Onyx Storm’ book tour she stated: “Someone you love won’t make it in book 4.” Every reader is speculating who it could be and we’re all scared. In the first book she got us hooked into a side character (one of Violet’s friends) who played a great role in her life. At the end of the book she killed him off saying it was because he was perfect and there was nothing to change about him or add to him. Readers are convinced the next victim is one of her best friends, because he is a big piece in Violet’s life and is perfect in every way.
In 2023 the Empyrean series was selected by Amazon MGM Studios to be turned into a TV show. With help from Michael B. Jordan’s production company, and Outlier Society with the adaptation, Emmy-winning writer Moira Walley-Beckett will be the showrunner. There have been many fan cast picks but nothing is official. To play the main male role fans want Josh Heuston, and for the main female role fans want Mackenzie Foy (from Twilight). I personally agree with these fancast options.
Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News 