A great fucking snapshot
By Andrea Sadowski
Do you know it is written in The Cascade’s editorial policy that the use of profanity in articles is protected, except in News articles (unless it’s a quote), poor writing, and hate speech? It’s true; as long as the article is good quality writing and not of malicious intent we can say words like fuck, shit, and bitch all we want, something CIVL only wishes they could do.
Previous EICs would have never allowed profanities to be published in their precious paper. But I’m not a regular mom, I’m a cool mom. I’m also very oblivious when it comes to “professional” communication. Who decided which words weren’t allowed to be said in certain workplaces? Why am I not allowed to swear in an office, but it’s totally cool to do so in a commercial kitchen? Why are certain words inherently “bad” anyways? Words are just sounds that come out of our mouths.
Did you know that one study found a “consistent positive relationship between profanity and honesty?” And another study found that swearing increases your pain tolerance? I’m just an honest bitch with a high pain tolerance, and I don’t think it’s a big deal if I let out a few fucks every once in a while.
The real benefits of Animal Crossing
By Sydney Marchand
I’m not a die-hard gamer, but I do love Animal Crossing, and admittedly, I have completely neglected my island for the past five or six months. Sigh. Shameful, I know.
Sure, the game is pretty simple and slow-paced, but that’s what I love so much about it, and this week especially, I just needed that level of relaxation back into my life. So, I decided to put away my laptop and I tried my best to focus on something that wasn’t school or work-related — I reorganized my island.
Essentially, the game has you work towards building your own little island. You house villagers, farm and plot land structures, plant flowers, craft different tools and recipes, fish, etc. The ultimate goal is to just make your island the best it can be. It’s fun, though, I swear. Anyone who plays the game knows that part of the fun is simply just these mundane day-to-day tasks.
Like many others, I hit a wall of stress, burnout, utter lack of motivation — whatever you want to call it, and no amount of tea or long walks in the sun seemed to help me. But this did. So, try to get creative with how you unwind. It doesn’t always have to be the most “Instagrammable” image of relaxation. Let me tell you, this week, I have never felt more at peace than I did terraforming the land and crafting furniture to build a bakery.
The quietest room
By Carissa Wiens
At their headquarters in Redmond, Wash., Microsoft has created the world’s quietest room. The room is built so that there are no sound reflections from the walls, making one’s own heartbeat clearly audible. It’s called an anechoic room because echoes do not exist in the space. Jacopo Prisco writes for CNN, “When you move, your bones make a grinding noise. Eventually you lose your balance, because the absolute lack of reverberation sabotages your spatial awareness.”
The room’s noise level is measured at 20.3dB lower than the average threshold of human hearing, which is 0dB. For reference, calm breathing is measured at 10dB while a loud concert is measured at 110dB.
Microsoft uses the room for testing audio technology and to evaluate the clicking of keyboards and computer mice.
There is no official record for how long someone has stayed in the room, but Steve Orfield, who built his own quiet room in Minneapolis, says he stayed in his room for forty-five minutes in one go. At Microsoft, it has been confirmed that an individual has remained in the room for fifty-five minutes.
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
Sydney is a BA English major, creative writing student, who has been a content contributor for The Cascade and is now the Opinion editor. In 7th grade, she won $100 in a writing contest but hasn’t made an earning from writing since. In the meantime, she is hoping that her half-written novels will write themselves, be published, and help pay the bills.
