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The Skidmore News
The Campus Authority
volume 76 April 28, 1989 issue 14
Vox Veritatis Nuntia
Cable Television at Skidmore: A Decision for the Students
by John Demeny
For the last three and one-half years Jones Intercable has been attempting to bring cable television to the Skidmore College campus. Although the New Dorm, which is currently under construction, has been wired in order to accommodate cable programming, there are no immediate plans to have cable television available to its future residents. The New Dorm is the only building to have this capability - The Skidmore Administration has not given Jones Intercable the right to bring cable television to the remaining dormitories on campus.
In an interview, Robert A. Lipkin, general manager of the Jones Intercable franchise, stated that “people think of cable television exclusively as video...it’s much more than that.” He admitted that cable television could provide entertainment such as HBO, but also added that “it [cable television] is useful as both an informational and educational tool.” He said that the Skidmore Administration is under the impression that, “they [the students] will not be studying - they’ll be watching M.T.V. and banging their heads.”
Mr. Lipkin alluded to what he considered many of the positive aspects of cable television, such as “Mind Extension University” - a program that broadcast actual cl asses in various subjects from colleges around the nation. He also detailed the possibilities for a separate channel designated especially for Skidmore: in this way Skidmore could air school sporting events, classes, and conferences. Don Hastings, Director of Residential Life, was unable to comment on this matter, although he is the person who is conducting the investigation into the feasibility of cable. In his absence, Lisa Kiley, Assistant Director of Residential Life, stated that the matter is being viewed from an educational standpoint. The possible benefits of cable television in the classroom are currently being explored by the office and IDB. Mr. Lipkin speculated that cable television would also encourage students to remain on campus, which, he added, “is something that the Administration is always attempting to do.”
Mr. Lipkin conceded that placing cable in all the dormitories on campus would be expensive, estimating the job to cost approximately one-hundred thousand dollars. He hastened to add, however, that his business was fully prepared to handle the expense of the wiring. The task itself will not be terribly difficult either, and he staled confidently that, “there are no technical boundaries involved.” Mr. Lipkin unequivocally stated that his goal was “to bring cable television to every dormitory room on campus.”
Mr. Lipkin said that his goal of bringing cable television to Skidmore was flexible - he stressed that he was sensitive to both the needs of the students and the administration. He reiterated this point by detailing his plan of selling his product. The basic cable package would cost $16.70, and he would also be willing to offer another option in which students could choose their own channels. Furthermore, Mr. Lipkin and Jones Intercable would be willing to sell “conversion kits” (the device that accepts the cable channels) wholesale to either C.G.A, or the Administration and allow them to handle the matter of distribution.
The possibility of bringing cable television to Skidmore is uncertain. The Administration will not allow Jones Intercable to market its product on campus, and this is a situation with which Mr. Lipkin is familiar: he encountered similar difficulties in his attempts to bring cable television to Suny-Albany. Mr. Lipkin stated that it was student opinion at Suny-Albany that forced the Administration to reconsider its stand, and he said that it will require student participation here at Skidmore to produce an effect. Ms. Kiley stated that “Skidmore has always treated students like adults. The input from students is very important.” The matter will take time however, and much investigation by the Administration. Says Kiley “A relationship between Skidmore and Jones is being formed, but we don’t want to rush it and risk damaging it.” Mr. Lipkin stated that Jones Intercable has millions of subscribers across the United States, and that many colleges have cable television. He is fully prepared to bring cable television to Skidmore, and he hopes to be given the opportunity.
Supercomputer Expert Speaks At Skidmore
by Jennifer Shultz
On Monday, April 24,1989, the Fifth Annual F. William Harder Lecture in Business Administration was presented by Marcelo Gumucio, President and Chief Operating Officer of Cray Research, Inc. in Gannett Auditorium where he spoke on the manufacturing of Supercomputers and their uses in various industries.
What exactly is a Supercomputer? According to Gumucio’s definition, “It is the fastest machine available at any point at any given time.” But as technology changes, the previous machines are no longer “Supercomputers.” Supercomputers developed in 1984 are now just machines. To the common eye a supercomputer resembles appealing modem sculpture. One version of the Supercomputer occupies 120 square feet of space and is 6 feet tall. Seymour Cray, the designer and originator of the Supercomputer is currently working on the Cray III, which will be relatively smaller in size and remarkably faster. The main components of the computer will be approximately the size of a loaf of bread that will sell for around S30 million. To give an idea of how much energy a Supercomputer uses, about 200 hairdryers running at once would use about the same amount of energy. If one could solve a problem on a Macintosh in one year, it would take a Supercomputer only one hour to do the same problem. According to Marcelo Gumucio, the Supercomputers range in price from $5 million to $23 million, “batteries not included” and “students are given a discount.”
During Gumucio’s involvement with supercomputers, the firm has participated in a new field that has brought new dimension: to weather forecasting, the aircraft industry, automobile design, weapons development, and the search for oil. Examples of companies that have purchased Supercomputers are: General Motors, Exxon, Texaco, General Electric, Chrysler, Shell Oil, and Ford which used the computer to design the Ford Taurus. For environmental purposes, for example, the Supercomputer is used to calculate the future of oceans, the atmosphere, weather, wind speed, and air temperatures. In addition, it was used by a Canadian to plot the dispersion of the nuclear debris that resulted from the Chernobyl accident, and showed the affect of the accident around the world.
Gumucio was bom in Potosi, Bolivia, and is no w a naturalized U.S. citizen. In l955, the new Bolivian Government had seized his family’s industrial property that included mines, a printing company, and a saw mill. Gumucio was only 18 years old when he arrived in San Francisco with only $200. Although he spoke three languages, he was unable to speak English.
According to the Skidmore Intercom, “He taught himself English by working as a mail boy for Crown Zellerbach and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., and by listening to television. At night he studied mathematics. After two years, he earned scholarship money and began attending school during
Continued on page 5
photo by Todd Zorn
On April 22nd, a devastating fire struck Jamesway on West Ave. The Jamesway Management was unavailable for comment.
Inside:
The Crosses -
Explained
page 11
Inside SPAC
page 7
College
Explained
page 14
Object Description
| Title | April 28, 1989 |
| Date | April 28 1989 |
| Volume | 76 |
| Issue | 14 |
| Type | Text |
| Format | PDF/A |
| Identifier | skidmore_news_1989_04_28_all |
| Year | 1988/1989 |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Transcript | The Skidmore News The Campus Authority volume 76 April 28, 1989 issue 14 Vox Veritatis Nuntia Cable Television at Skidmore: A Decision for the Students by John Demeny For the last three and one-half years Jones Intercable has been attempting to bring cable television to the Skidmore College campus. Although the New Dorm, which is currently under construction, has been wired in order to accommodate cable programming, there are no immediate plans to have cable television available to its future residents. The New Dorm is the only building to have this capability - The Skidmore Administration has not given Jones Intercable the right to bring cable television to the remaining dormitories on campus. In an interview, Robert A. Lipkin, general manager of the Jones Intercable franchise, stated that “people think of cable television exclusively as video...it’s much more than that.” He admitted that cable television could provide entertainment such as HBO, but also added that “it [cable television] is useful as both an informational and educational tool.” He said that the Skidmore Administration is under the impression that, “they [the students] will not be studying - they’ll be watching M.T.V. and banging their heads.” Mr. Lipkin alluded to what he considered many of the positive aspects of cable television, such as “Mind Extension University” - a program that broadcast actual cl asses in various subjects from colleges around the nation. He also detailed the possibilities for a separate channel designated especially for Skidmore: in this way Skidmore could air school sporting events, classes, and conferences. Don Hastings, Director of Residential Life, was unable to comment on this matter, although he is the person who is conducting the investigation into the feasibility of cable. In his absence, Lisa Kiley, Assistant Director of Residential Life, stated that the matter is being viewed from an educational standpoint. The possible benefits of cable television in the classroom are currently being explored by the office and IDB. Mr. Lipkin speculated that cable television would also encourage students to remain on campus, which, he added, “is something that the Administration is always attempting to do.” Mr. Lipkin conceded that placing cable in all the dormitories on campus would be expensive, estimating the job to cost approximately one-hundred thousand dollars. He hastened to add, however, that his business was fully prepared to handle the expense of the wiring. The task itself will not be terribly difficult either, and he staled confidently that, “there are no technical boundaries involved.” Mr. Lipkin unequivocally stated that his goal was “to bring cable television to every dormitory room on campus.” Mr. Lipkin said that his goal of bringing cable television to Skidmore was flexible - he stressed that he was sensitive to both the needs of the students and the administration. He reiterated this point by detailing his plan of selling his product. The basic cable package would cost $16.70, and he would also be willing to offer another option in which students could choose their own channels. Furthermore, Mr. Lipkin and Jones Intercable would be willing to sell “conversion kits” (the device that accepts the cable channels) wholesale to either C.G.A, or the Administration and allow them to handle the matter of distribution. The possibility of bringing cable television to Skidmore is uncertain. The Administration will not allow Jones Intercable to market its product on campus, and this is a situation with which Mr. Lipkin is familiar: he encountered similar difficulties in his attempts to bring cable television to Suny-Albany. Mr. Lipkin stated that it was student opinion at Suny-Albany that forced the Administration to reconsider its stand, and he said that it will require student participation here at Skidmore to produce an effect. Ms. Kiley stated that “Skidmore has always treated students like adults. The input from students is very important.” The matter will take time however, and much investigation by the Administration. Says Kiley “A relationship between Skidmore and Jones is being formed, but we don’t want to rush it and risk damaging it.” Mr. Lipkin stated that Jones Intercable has millions of subscribers across the United States, and that many colleges have cable television. He is fully prepared to bring cable television to Skidmore, and he hopes to be given the opportunity. Supercomputer Expert Speaks At Skidmore by Jennifer Shultz On Monday, April 24,1989, the Fifth Annual F. William Harder Lecture in Business Administration was presented by Marcelo Gumucio, President and Chief Operating Officer of Cray Research, Inc. in Gannett Auditorium where he spoke on the manufacturing of Supercomputers and their uses in various industries. What exactly is a Supercomputer? According to Gumucio’s definition, “It is the fastest machine available at any point at any given time.” But as technology changes, the previous machines are no longer “Supercomputers.” Supercomputers developed in 1984 are now just machines. To the common eye a supercomputer resembles appealing modem sculpture. One version of the Supercomputer occupies 120 square feet of space and is 6 feet tall. Seymour Cray, the designer and originator of the Supercomputer is currently working on the Cray III, which will be relatively smaller in size and remarkably faster. The main components of the computer will be approximately the size of a loaf of bread that will sell for around S30 million. To give an idea of how much energy a Supercomputer uses, about 200 hairdryers running at once would use about the same amount of energy. If one could solve a problem on a Macintosh in one year, it would take a Supercomputer only one hour to do the same problem. According to Marcelo Gumucio, the Supercomputers range in price from $5 million to $23 million, “batteries not included” and “students are given a discount.” During Gumucio’s involvement with supercomputers, the firm has participated in a new field that has brought new dimension: to weather forecasting, the aircraft industry, automobile design, weapons development, and the search for oil. Examples of companies that have purchased Supercomputers are: General Motors, Exxon, Texaco, General Electric, Chrysler, Shell Oil, and Ford which used the computer to design the Ford Taurus. For environmental purposes, for example, the Supercomputer is used to calculate the future of oceans, the atmosphere, weather, wind speed, and air temperatures. In addition, it was used by a Canadian to plot the dispersion of the nuclear debris that resulted from the Chernobyl accident, and showed the affect of the accident around the world. Gumucio was bom in Potosi, Bolivia, and is no w a naturalized U.S. citizen. In l955, the new Bolivian Government had seized his family’s industrial property that included mines, a printing company, and a saw mill. Gumucio was only 18 years old when he arrived in San Francisco with only $200. Although he spoke three languages, he was unable to speak English. According to the Skidmore Intercom, “He taught himself English by working as a mail boy for Crown Zellerbach and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., and by listening to television. At night he studied mathematics. After two years, he earned scholarship money and began attending school during Continued on page 5 photo by Todd Zorn On April 22nd, a devastating fire struck Jamesway on West Ave. The Jamesway Management was unavailable for comment. Inside: The Crosses - Explained page 11 Inside SPAC page 7 College Explained page 14 |
| Type | Text |
| Format | PDF/A |
| Identifier | skidmore_news_1989_04_28_001 |
