Going out tonight? We’ve got you covered.

Insider Looks and Tech Tips for a Successful Night Out

Volume 127::Fall 2011

Student Engineering Magazine at the University of Illinois

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Editor-in-Chief

Megan Reilly

Print Content Editor

Amanda Steelman

Presentation Editor

Brian Kennedy

Copy Editor

Pui-Ching Yung

Daniel Malsom

Interim Publisher

Melissa Pasco

Adviser

Marissa Monson

Phone

1-217-337-8300

Email

technograph@illinimedia.com

Web

readtechno.com

Mail

Technograph

512 E. Green St.

Champaign, IL 61820

An Illini Media

Publication

Copyright 2011

Staff

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10

15

5v

4: New Student Guide to RSO’s5: Not Just a Walk in the Park6: Shedding Light on the Krannert Center

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18: Nightlife E-tools10: The Science of Cinema12: Can I see Your ID?

13: My God, It’s Full of Stars14: Destihl: Wining and Dining From Local Stock15: Fire station: Adding Tech, Subtracting Losses

Cover Photo: Brian Kennedy

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“OTCR Consulting is UIUC’s premier student-run consult-ing firm, comprised of 50 top students primarily from the

Colleges of Engineering and Business. Each semester OTCR works with clients ranging in size from Fortune 500 corporations to technology startups to solve their unique

business challenges.”

For more information, please visit www.otcr.illinois.ed

“The Solar Illini is a group for students interested in learn-ing about the technical, social, and environmental aspects of solar energy, and how it relates to the current global energy situation. Involvement ranges from casual conversations to getting involved in local pro-jects to help the community.”

For more information, contact Corey Berman at bizurman@gmail.com

“i-Invent is a group that seeks to educate members about inventing by leading members through the actual creation, design, and market-ing of an original idea. We will have speakers, volunteer opportunities, and collaborate with other entrepreneurship organizations on campus.”

For more information, please contact iclubinvent@gmail.com

“Fighting Illini Battlebots Team is a new RSO on campus where students design and build a robot that will com-pete in the national Battlebots competition in Florida. The Battlebots competition involves two weaponized robots that compete head to head in a knockout-style three-minute battle.”

“Illini Hybrid Racing par-ticipates in the Formula Hybrid International Competition at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway each May. The team consists of both engineering and non-engineering students interested in cooperatively de-signing, constructing, testing, and racing an open-wheeled formula hybrid racecar.”

Placeholder onlyNew ad coming or ad will be killed

need to fill if Supply ads runs

New Student GuideA brief look at engineering student organizations.

PHOTOCREDIT: Megan ReillyPhotos used with the permission of the groups’ contacts.

For more information, please contact Jack Redding at redding3@illinois.edu.

For more information, visit illinihybridracing.com.

Not Just a Walk in the ParkAn Opinions Column on

Campus Safety

PHOTOCREDIT: Megan Reilly

It’s 3 a.m. Although you re-ally do know better, you find yourself making your way back to your apartment...alone. The bars have closed and it seems that everyone who has made their rounds to the local establishments is long gone. You don’t see any-one (other than you) who is still willing to make the same mistake tonight — taking the chance of perhaps becoming a subject of the latest “campus alert” email messages.

It’s late and you’re tired. The longer, well-lit route is the smarter choice, but it’s out of your way, and that makes it out of the question. Now you set yourself as the ideal prey for someone lurking in the shadows looking for a victim to rob, beat, or rape. Unfortu-nately, these potential offend-ers rarely stand out until it is too late. It may be a friendly stranger asking to borrow a lighter, or it may be a shady character waiting up ahead. There‘s just no way to tell. As a result, you may find yourself running from the first kid you see wearing his hood up.

Campus crime alerts are no joke. They relay real informa-tion about real events that happened to students who have been victimized. Crimes range from assault and battery to aggravated robbery and worse. While you can’t always

prevent it, there are some simple, common sense precau-tions you can take to avoid becoming a target:

• Travel in groups; even a group of two lowers your chance of being attacked.

• Don’t stare into your phone or iPod thinking that you look too distracted to be bothered. Not only are you unaware of your surround-ings, but you also appear to be distracted, which actually makes you more appealing for someone who wants to accost you.

• You may think that you are too cool to use Safe-Rides or Walks, but these op-tions, - including waiting for the local bus- are al-ways safer alternatives to walking alone late at night.

• If you ever find yourself in a situation that you feel is uncomfortable or down-right dangerous, remem-ber this: possessions can always be replaced, and are not worth risking your safety over. Remember to trust your instincts. They’re usually right on and will keep you safe when misguided bravado, or obliviousness, won’t.

By: Kevin Matesi

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The skilled hands of the musicians, the graceful movements of the dancers, and the actors’ enthralling performances all draw crowds, but they are not the only contributions to the audience’s overall experience. The costumes, sets, makeup, audio and other depart-ments are important, but perhaps the most subtle behind the scenes work occurs in the lighting.

Every year, our campus’s very own Krannert Center hosts many internationally-known musical acts and theater performances, as well as their own in-house productions.

Shedding Lighton the Krannert Center

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A show’s lighting is often taken for granted and the viewer may not make a conscious note of it; but that is precisely what makes it so special. The lighting department is able to influence the audience’s emotions and shift its focus through the use of different colors, light intensity and placement without people even noticing. According to Lisa Kidd, associ-ate lighting director for Krannert, the department is so skilled at this that they are able to finalize the lighting many weeks before the opening night.

“Most of the lighting you see at Krannert Center is pre-pro-grammed,” Kidd said. “For the resident productions we have a week of technical rehearsal prior to opening. During that time we will work with the directors, actors and other technical staff to program the overall look of the show.”

She added that even the touring productions program their lighting ahead of time and give this file to the Krannert staff so they can make preparations. All acts must adapt to Krannert’s capabilities, but together with the tour’s lighting directors they are able to keep it mostly true to form.

“The only time we have manually-controlled lighting would, for example, be during a live jazz concert in the Tryon Festival theater.”

These set lists are often not known until the day of the show, so the lighting department prepares by hanging lights that are suitable for the genre of music. During the perfor-mance, the lights are adjusted in order to match the present mood.

This covers the theater productions, but what about the musical acts that come to town? The work is usually simpler for these acts because many musicians only need white light in order to read their sheet music and do not require intri-cate lighting designs. Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert’s largest theater, is well-suited for musical performances because its ambient colored lighting is not aimed toward the stage and does not affect a musician’s vision.

Now that you know how the lighting department prepares for Krannert’s productions, be sure to see them in person.

By: Thomas Thoren

PHOTOCREDITS: Brian Kennedy

Facebook Google+

With more than 700 million active us-ers, there is no question that Facebook is where the party is at. With a list of features that includes live chat, photo uploads, and a live newstream, you won’t be worrying about how to spend your time in class. But what features does Techno-graph like most?

Facebook Questions

Get friends’ opinions on literally just about anything. Perfect for that game of “would you rather” after an irresponsible night out.

Events

Updates all your acquaintances on every social activity on campus. Names, Dates, Attendees included. And hey, a Facebook invitation is still an invitation.

Facebook Connect

You may think that Facebook Connect sounds like a plot to take over the inter-net, but it actually makes your life easier by allowing users to sign in to multiple services using only your Facebook ID, eliminating the need for 65 different ac-count passwords.

Officially deemed the fastest growing social network ever, Google+ is estimated to have upwards of 25 million users and is still in Beta! In other words, you have to find some social network hipster to send you an invite (150 per person), but it’s worth it. But the real question is, how is Google+ different from Facebook?

Circles

Say goodbye to your Facebook wall. Place your friends into custom groups or “circles” and then choose who to share your posts with, whether its your Grandma or your vulgar college buddies.

Huddle

Hate trying to get twelve of your friends to the same movie at the same place at the same time? Create a Huddle and turn your texts into a group chat using the Google+ Mobile app, available for Android and now iPhone.

The Google+ Bar

User of Gmail? Google Docs? Then Google+ is for you. Nothing helps you procrastinate better than the helpful, slate colored Google+ Bar. Available at the top of all Google products, you can share posts, get notifications, and control your Google account all from one place.

www.facebook.com plus.google.com

Nightlife E - Tools:

Spotify Last.FM

The new streaming service, Spotify, has a library that includes millions of popu-lar tracks and makes sharing music with your friends a breeze. Only instead of just having tracks located on your computer’s hard drive, users get access to a mas-sive cloud library as well. Best of all, it’s completely free! Spotify launched in the United States on July 14th, but it is still in beta testing and currently invite-only.

Playlists

The core component of Spotify is the ease in which you can build playlists. The drag and drop system is quick and flawless. Additionally, you can combine tracks from the cloud and tracks from your personal library on playlists, without any additional hassle.

Sharing

The best part of the service is how easy it is to share music with your friends. Install Spotify onto Facebook and see friends’ public playlists. Then subcribe to your favorites and listen to them wherever you have internet.

Listen Anywhere

Spotify provides listeners with Android and iPhone apps so you have a monster music library in your pocket. Plus, access your personal Spotify account from any computer, not just your own.

Last.FM is a great way to stay in tune with your favorite artists so you can stay on top of the scene when you hit the streets. Keep track of old favorites and explore new up and coming artists through a host of features that include album and venue reviews, music charts, streaming radio, and a large community to connect with other fans and artists.

Profiling

Create your own public profile to share favorite bands and charts with friends and other users. Shout outs are great for recommending newfound artists to others.

Scrobbling

Instantaneously updates the any linked last.Fm profile with what you are currently listening to. Downloads are available for iTunes, WinApp, Windows Media Player, Android and iPhone.

Events

Last.FM also updates its users on concerts and show dates for all of their favorite bands. RSVP for shows, look for tickets, and print directions all from Last.FM’s website.

www.spotify.com www.last.fm

Online Networks to Enhance your Social Life

IMAGECREDIT: Brian Kennedy

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Just how much technology goes into the making of a blockbuster film? To get an idea, Technograph spoke with A.J. Christenson, a recent graduate of the University of Illinos.

According to Christenson, bringing a story to the big screen requires all sorts of unique programs and gadgets. Film-making crews create the script and sto-ryboard in specific formats using special software. Cameras utilize lights, filters, reflectors, baffles, and other implements in order to obtain the desired colors, shapes, and brightness, and program-mable cranes and other devices move cameras in precise paths for moving shots. Various types of microphones cap-ture different sounds, which are mixed with specific programs. Computers allow for different types of editing and special effects to be added to the captured film.

But the role of technology certainly doesn’t stop when the film is complete. The finished movie must be adapted to many different formats so that it plays the same way on the movie screen as it does on an iPod. And, of course, how so-phisticated the movie screen or display is

plays a huge role in our cinematic experi-ence (including other special effects like 3D – see side bar). As Christenson notes, “[Cinema is] an industry that thrives on the state of the art in machinery and problem-solving.”

Christenson works at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) as a member of the Advanced Visualization team. The group applies the technology behind animation and filmmaking to scientific datasets in order to develop sophisticated visualizations of complex scientific phenomena. For example, the team is responsible for the development of an impressive animation of a tornado simulation, showcased in a popular exhibit on weather at the Mu-seum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

According to Christenson, the anima-tion was special because it was “not a naturalistic animation like you might see through a camera lens, but a complex, diagrammatic one.” The team translated simulation data of wind speeds, tempera-tures, and other variables into colors, shapes, and motions. They tested the animation many times in order to ensure

that the animation ran smoothly and was easy to follow.

So why would anyone want to watch a science flick? Just as a film can bring an idea or theme to a large audience, a science animation presents scientific data to the public in an easy-to-understand format.

Christenson commented on the chal-lenge of converting a large set of data into an elegant animation: “The artistry comes in trying to recognize a sweet spot between confusing and simplistic.” While the tornado animation makes the data easier to understand and draw conclu-sions from, it still accurately embodies the fundamental scientific principles at work.

So grab some popcorn, dim the lights, and go enjoy a good science flick tonight.

By: Dave Korenchan

The Science of Cinema(and the Cinema of Science)

PHOTOCREDIT: Brian Kennedy, IMAGECREDIT: Jeffery Carpenter

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The technique used to make a movie three-dimensional is called stereoscopic 3D. The idea is to present each of your eyes with a slightly differ-ent image that, when the two are put together, trick your eyes into thinking the image has depth. This means a 3D movie shows two different images on the same screen but sends each one to a different eye.

There are a few ways to accomplish this. Older 3D movies use something called anaglyph, involving special red-and-blue (technically, red-and-cyan) glasses worn by the viewer. The red lens allows only red light through, and the cyan lens allows only cyan light through. Both a red image and a cyan image are projected onto the movie screen, so the red image goes to one eye, and the cyan image to the other.

This technique messes up the colors of the movie, though, so modern mov-ies theaters employ glasses and images that rely on different polarizations of light rather than different colors.In

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PHOTOCREDIT: AJ Christensen

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One of the first things new students do once they arrive on campus is get their i-card. Everyone has one. It’s your bus pass, your gym membership, your access key to certain buildings, your library card. If you’re in the dorms, it’s your meal ticket, and if you so choose, it can be your debit card too. The goal is to be able to use one card for multiple purposes, which makes our lives a lot easier.

“It’s our one card philosophy,” says John Ealy, Interim Director of i-card Programs.

The key to how i-cards work is their three-track magnetic stripe, or mag-stripe for short. Each i-card is assigned a unique 16-digit code (printed on the front of the card) which is encoded on the magstripe, a plastic-like film with tiny iron-based magnetic particles in it that act as tiny bar magnets. Informa-tion is encoded onto the magstripe through those magnets.

When you swipe your i-card, the motion allows the scanner to read the information on the magstripe, your 16-digit code. A web application reads the card number and checks the i-card database to ensure it is a valid card. The card is then verified through a series of checks which determine who you are and your eligibility. At the ARC for example, some of the checks are as follows: is the cardholder a student? If yes, have they paid their fees? If no, are they faculty or staff? If yes, do they have a current membership? If the answer is no, the card is rejected.

“All of these checks have to occur within a couple seconds,” Ealy said.

The web applications and databases used were created specifically for U of I’s i-card program. Depending how you use the card and where you swipe it, it reacts differently. At places like the ARC or CRCE, cards are verified against the i-card database. University Hous-

ing has another system in place as wel; the ‘New Horizons’ system deals with meal plans and building access based on where you live. If and when you use it as a debit card, purchases go directly against your TCF checking account and you can use it anywhere PIN based debit cards are accepted, no signature required. All of these systems and func-tions are integrated but separate.

The i-card database is also updated frequently just in case you lose your card. When a replacement i-card is issued, the 16-digit card number is changed, and the old i-card becomes obsolete.

So the next time you look at your i-card, try to forget how terrible your picture is and take a moment to ap-preciate all the things that little piece of plastic can do for you.

By: Amanda Steelman

Can I see your i.d.?

PHOTOCREDIT: Megan Reilly

Got some spare time? Of course not, you’re a college student.

Looking for new and interesting ways to procrastinate? Of course you are, you’re a college student.

So look up.Astronomy has fascinated and baffled civilizations for centuries, most notably

the ancient Greeks and Romans, who named the eight planets (sorry, Pluto) in our Solar System, and the mysteries of space are being researched now more than ever. Although modern-day string theory might be heavy reading, stargaz-ing is an intriguing and free way to spend your evening.

You can always grab a blanket and head for the quad on a clear night or, if you’re feeling ambitious, check out the campus observatory for their monthly open houses. The University of Illinois Astronomical Society invites the public to visit the observatory and use the historical refracting telescope and other small-er telescopes to observe nearby planets, constellations and our moon at least once a month. If you’re not satisfied with simply looking through a lens, then you can join the Astronomical Society and be trained to use the telescope as well as attend biweekly meetings, special lectures and outings for optimal stargaz-ing. (For more information on the UIAS you can visit uias.astro.illinois.edu/.)

If you are more of an independent astronomer then I would recommend look-ing into purchasing a planisphere — a tool used by many amateur astronomers to recognize what constellations are visible in the sky during any given time. They’re pretty nifty. I am personally a fan of the computer program, Stellarium, which is free to download at www.stellarium.org, and will give you a 3D sky view at any given time and place. Again, very handy.

And if you have a few empty credit hours next semester, the best way to learn about our Universe is to simply take an astronomy class. I enrolled in Astro 100 the day before classes started my freshman year and I still consider it to be my favorite course. With course titles such as “Killer Skies: Astro Disasters” and “Extraterrestrial Life” you can imagine the astronomy department at the U of I is anything but boring.There are also 8-week, 1 credit hour labs that meet one night a week at the observatory where you learn how to use telescopes and, weather permitting, spend a good portion of the evening observing.

The U of I offers many great ways to explore astronomy, so get out there and take advantage of it!

By: Allison Greaney

PHOTOCREDIT: Scott Bowdich

My God, it's full of stars...

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Destihl, a relatively new brewpub located on Neil Street in downtown Champaign, is a singular dining experience. Much like The Blind Pig, Destihl is a brewery; however, uniquely, Destihl serves only beers brewed on-site, and after sampling a few, all on offer seem to be of the highest quality. The owners and managers of Destihl also pride themselves on cooking us-ing local ingredients whenever possible. Their fried cheese curd appetizer, for instance, is sourced from a local dairy farm which uses Destihl’s leftover brewing ingredients for cattle feed.

Based on a sample of one meal, the food at Destihl is excel-lent. The waitstaff was extremely helpful and friendly, and everything arrived at the table promptly, from drinks to dessert. Even the desserts reflect Destihl’s “gastrobrewpub” branding – one dessert in particular is based on a chocolate ice cream flavored with the pub’s own house-brewed stout.

Anyone can see Destihl’s commitment to brewing as soon as they walk through the door. Brian Durking, manager, gladly showed me an enclosed room containing a massive boiler and several large ferment-ers Destihl uses to create its unique brews. Preparing a beer for fermenting, Durking said, only takes a day. The ingredients

are boiled into a wort (pronounced “wert”), strained, and have yeast added. The wort must then ferment for one to four weeks in one of the room’s steel fermenters before it can be prepared for serving; depending on the type of beer being brewed, the fermenters must often be temperature-controlled. Though the process sounds intimidating, it can be done at a small scale by any hobbyist at a low level of effort and cost.

Having only opened in April, the restaurant is already quite busy. While 11 beers are already on tap and more are ferment-ing all the time, the bar is also capable of serving up to 19 different beers on draft. 25 percent of the restaurant’s sales is already from beer. “Champaign’s a pretty big beer town,” Dur-kin said. Destihl’s other location, in Normal, Ilinois, does only a fraction of the sales of the Champaign branch.

Destihl is, at its root, a homebrewing and small business success story. The CEO, Matt Potts, started his professional life as a lawyer, and discovered a passion for homebrewing in his free time. In the early 90s, he began to capitalize his passion by opening his first pub in Elmwood, Illinois. He drafted the help of a friend, Fred Morrisette, to help create new brews. While Fred began by volunteering his time, he now splits his full-time brewmaster position between Destihl’s Champaign and Normal locations, and business shows no sign of slowing down.

Having only just opened, Destihl seems poised to provide wonderful beer, food and experiences for years to come.

By: Scott Bowdich

PHOTOCREDIT: Scott Bowdich

Destihl: Wining and Dining from Local Stock

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It’s a Friday night. You and your friends walk into Fire Station and the first thing that catches your eye, after the glow of the LCD flat screens, is the fact that the liquor bot-tles on the bar are lighting up. No, you’re not going crazy; it’s just another way technology is invading your night out.

At first glance, it’s hard not to notice the seven 50” LCD flat screens throughout the bar. On top of that, each booth has its own individual 19” flat screen TV, allowing patrons to choose what they’d like to watch for themselves. But while this may be a sport fan’s dream come true, the real show starts behind the bar. According to Fire Station’s man-ager David Fries, the bar has a $25,000 controlled liquor distribution system from Chicago, the only one of its kind in Central Illinois. It’s run by a computer system that can measure and record the amount of alcohol poured by the bottle, the pint, even down to the ounce. Plus, it lights up.

But why go through all this trouble?

The system is meant to cut down on a common problem in bars: long pours and short pours, or when bartenders give customers more, or less, than they pay for.

The information taken from the system is connected to the bar’s register and inventory. If the amount of alcohol used doesn’t match up with the amount purchased, they know by how much it differs and when the drinks were poured.

PHOTOCREDIT: Amanda Steelman

The most noticeable part of the system is the sixteen bottles that line the top of the bar. They are dispensed through a liquor gun (the only one of its kind on campus, Fries noted) which has different buttons with one specific symbol representing each type of liquor. When a button is pressed on the liquor gun and the liquor is being poured, the corresponding bottle lights up above the bar. There are two LED lights behind each of the sixteen bottles which are activated when their button is pressed on the gun. The liquor is then transferred from the bottle to the gun through a series of tubes powered by air compressors found in the basement under the bar. Arrows on the gun are used to control the exact amount of liquor administered: half shot, full shot, or double.

For the rest of the liquor, there are special tops placed in the mouths of the bottles with computer chips. In order for the liquor to be poured from the bottle, the bottle must be hooked up to its base, which can tell you which alcohol is being poured and how much of it. Even the beer on tap is connected to the system and the amount used and when it’s used is recorded and sent to the main computer downstairs.

Overall, it’s a fascinating system and it becomes even more fascinating watching it in motion. For those who know how hectic bars can be on weekends, it’s hard to imagine that all the activity behind the bar breaks down to a couple computer chips, a liquor system and a spreadsheet of numbers. but knowing as a customer that you’re getting what you paid for? Well, that’s priceless.

By: Amanda Steelman

Fire station:adding tech, subtracting losses

“It protects both our investment and ensures our customers get their money’s worth,” explained Fries.

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