The Game Awards, initiated in 2014 by veteran game journalist Geoff Keighley, stand as an annual ceremony honoring both creative and technical accomplishments within the gaming industry. Since its inception, the awards has gained immense popularity, evolving into the most-watched awards ceremony in entertainment. Last year’s Game Awards ceremony gathered a staggering 103 million streams. To put this into perspective, the Oscars, a longstanding and renowned awards ceremony, grappled to attain 20 million television viewers.read more
Within the dynamic world of technology, several noteworthy trends and innovations emerged in 2023, shaping the foundation of the next great digital era.
Quantum computing took center stage with IBM’s groundbreaking development of a new quantum computer capable of executing specific calculations millions of times faster than its predecessors.
Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) experienced a breakout year for generative AI, deep learning platforms, and advancements in autonomous robots and vehicles. Tech giants like IBM, Apple, Intel, and NVIDIA are in a fierce race to create the best hardware that leverages AI technologies.read more
Photos courtesy of Julian Anderson, collage by Elysian Alder
Julian Anderson is the 20 year old Media Arts and Technology (Audio Concentration) major who took the Mount’s new Student Feed app by storm when he decided to kick off the semester by posting a selfie of himself sitting on the trunk of his car. The caption? ‘Parking Lot Selfie, Day 2.’
“I knew at first people might approach me, asking me if I was the guy who posted selfies in the parking lot, but I wasn’t that nervous,” said Anderson. “It was more for me than it was for anyone who liked following along with my selfie journey.”read more
In an exclusive interview on November 27th, Santa Claus himself took time out of his busy schedule to speak with a reporter from the Observer. This is what he had to say:
Q: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I’ve always been a huge Santa fan. How did you come to be in this position?
Well, it’s a family job. A lot of people don’t understand that, but Santa was my father, my grandfather, and my great grandfather. It goes back to the 1500’s, [and] I will pass it on to my son at some point when I’m too old to be Santa.read more
Director of Assessments Amanda Henrichs’ Mission to Cultivate Joyful Learning
By Katie Holgerson | Assistant Editor
Photo courtesy of Amanda Henrichs
Amanda Henrichs has been the Director of Assessments at the Mount for about 2 years and uses they/them pronouns. Originally from Oregon, Henrichs reflected on how different their life was in the Beaver State, mentioning that they were “milking goats and making porridge.” They explained the geographical distinctions between Oregon and Massachusetts, noting that Oregon experiences more rainfall and is “always gray,” with mountains for skiing and even a desert known as the High Desert on the other side. Henrichs recommends visiting Crater Lake, describing it as “incredible, it’s an old volcano that is filled in.” read more
On Saturday, December 2nd, Mount Wachusett Community College’s Theatre at the Mount (TAM) put on a spectacular performance of their holiday show, Elf: the Musical, a stage adaptation of the hit 2003 film of the same name.The musical follows Buddy (David Allen Prescott)—a human raised by the elves (who are “Happy All the Time,” according to the show’s opening number) at the North Pole—as he sets out on a journey to New York City in search of his real father…and his true identity. read more
Everything Old is New Again in the Doctor’s Latest Adventures
By Tom Hill Jr. | Observer Designer
Image Copyright BBC
November 23, 2023 marked the 60th Anniversary of the longest-running science fiction program in history: a little BBC show called Doctor Who. To celebrate its 60 years on our television screens, three special episodes were released.
For the uninitiated, Doctor Who is the story of an alien known as the Doctor and their various companions. They travel through time and space in a ship called the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space), solving mysteries, fighting monsters, and just generally experiencing the weird wonders of the cosmos. The Doctor has the ability to “regenerate” when they are about to die, a process that changes every cell in their body, leading to different physical appearances and personality quirks, but remaining the same character. This was a mechanic introduced to keep the show running when the first actor to portray the Doctor, William Hartnell, left the role. To date there have been thirteen “main” actors who have portrayed the Doctor, with occasional “one-off” appearances from other actors in the role. read more
An Examination of the Holidays Celebrated (and Not Celebrated) at the Mount
By Desiree Leader | Observer Contributor
The holiday season is happening all over the world. Eighty-five percent of people in the United States will be celebrating Christmas–everywhere you look, there are lights, trees, and Santas. As a matter of fact, in America, Christmas is celebrated 14 times more often than Hanukkah, and the ratio of people celebrating Kwanzaa to Christmas is 1:49. Although Christmas is the most popular holiday in America, it is clearly not the only one. Despite the Mount taking steps to be inclusive, some people feel that more could be done. read more
MWCC Community Considers Responses to Middle East Conflict
By Amal Elkhoury | Observer Contributor
Following the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7th, the MWCC community is considering how best to navigate the difficult discussions that have arisen. Students must balance the emotional toll of a foreign battle with their academic challenges, and many National Guard members are anxious about being called out to fight. However, MWCC President James Vander Hooven has not yet issued an official statement for impacted students.
When asked why, Vander Hooven said, “I readily acknowledge that I have not specified an event. I also did not send a message specific to the war in Ukraine or conflicts in Africa. But…the mental health of our students and employees is extremely important to me.” read more
Intel 14th Generation Processors, code name is Raptor Lake-S is a consumer class processor built on Intel 7, previously known as 10NM Enhanced Super Fin. Keep in mind all transistor densities aren’t equal, Intel’s 10NM node is similar to TSMC’s 7NM node. Intel 7 boasts a range of impressive features such as Xtreme Tuning Utility and more.
(XTU) with AI assistance simplifies overclocking with the click of a button. By analyzing the CPU voltages, motherboard power settings, thermals, and other settings, the AI assistance then formulates the best overclock settings for your PC, giving you an extra boost of performance for free! In comparison with Intel’s 13th Generation, Intel claims it is up to 18% better at multi-threading and up to 23% in gaming performance against the leading competitor, which would be AMD’s Ryzen 7950X3D. read more
