Gadgets and gag gifts perfect for the holidays

While this week draws the end of the semester closer and all of us are busy preparing for finals and making plans to spend time with loved ones, we might find ourselves equally distracted by last-minute Christmas gifts. Thankfully we have the Internet just in case we missed out on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday or even Hangover Sunday. With websites like The Grommet and U Gift Ideas you can easily breeze through an assortment of gift ideas for anyone. These sites even have custom gift options in case you want to include someone’s name to an item like…

No regrets? Not after tattoo removal

Picture this scenario: You’re with your friends, you’re young, carefree and just in the mood for a nice tattoo. You have a friend or know someone who has this friend, he has some cool tats, maybe he draws well and he just happens to have a tattoo gun. By now you can probably guess where this scenario is going. A lot of people have been there; even I’ve been there. You decide on a whim to get that tattoo from your buddy who just happens to be hanging around —tattoo gun ready to go! But then afterward, especially when you’re…

Undocumented: Surviving the trail between liberty and freedom–For many immigrants, a life spent in fear

Like many immigrants, getting to the United States was only half the battle for Perla, a recent Ray High School graduate now attending Del Mar College. Once in her new homeland, the anxiety, fear and uncertainty only grew. Though Perla entered the country legally at age 13, she spoke no English and had a difficult time in school. “People would tell me I couldn’t make it and I would cry a lot because I didn’t have a Social Security card, but I knew I had to go for it,” said Perla, who didn’t want to give her last name because…

Veterans kayaking their way to relaxation

C. Robert Gonzalez/Foghorn  Travis Matthews (bottom left) kayaks with other veterans right off Fortuna Bay in Flour Bluff. The Heroes on the Water, a nonprofit organization, helps veterans reintegrate back into civilian life. Heroes on the Water is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “help warriors relax, rehabilitate and reintegrate through kayak fishing and the outdoors.” The organization was established in 2007 and veterans from all United States military branches are welcome to participate. The idea of the program is exactly what they say in their mission statement and they put strong emphasis on giving veterans the chance to…

Relax! Your lawnmower can do the hard work

This week, my friends, I’m going to try to simplify your life. You can thank me over drinks while we watch the new robot knock out the yardwork. If we have any money left for drinks, that is. With the current surge in robotics technology, the act of physically doing things such as yardwork is becoming easier. The company, Lawnbotts, now offers an arsenal of robotic lawnmowers on its website, lawnbotts.com. Although the concept of a self-propelled lawnmower is nothing new, these robotic lawnmowers truly are. They’re designed almost like the vacuum robot, Roomba, but the robot lawnmower is a…

Undocumented: Surviving the trail between liberty and freedom

It would appear now more than ever Americans cannot change a channel on their televisions, turn a page in the newspaper or listen to the radio during their daily commute without hearing a story about undocumented immigrants and refugees. The stories told are horrific, and presidential candidate Donald Trump has even commented, calling migrants from the southern border “rapists.” But what if we step aside from all that and look at the situation piece by piece through the eyes of everyone involved in this “pandemic”? Would that close the gap on the vast starkness of desert between “them” and “us”?…

Apple unveils iPad Pro and much more

Apple unveiled its lineup of new products earlier this month, and the star of the show was the much-anticipated iPad Pro. Apple CEO Tim Cook stood proud in San Francisco during the company’s launch event, calling it, “The biggest news in iPad since the iPad.” The iPad has gone through multiple updates since the release of the original in 2010. The user-friendly tablet went through a number of facelifts before the company released the iPad Air in 2013. The iPad Air 2 was unveiled in October 2014 and proved to be the most popular version of the device, but Apple…

Human RFID implants? Thousands implanted

While 2015 is quickly coming to an end and people all over the world begin to discuss the trend this or trend that from throughout the year, some people will be discussing that one time a dear friend decided to implant himself or herself with a microchip. The practice of biohacking has been quietly gaining popularity throughout the world this year. Biohacking is the idea of manipulating the physical human body in ways that are designed to make it perform more optimally. Biohackers use medical techniques and concepts, but the movement is distinct from medicine in that its goal is…

Viking volunteers work with community

The Viking Volunteers program was established in spring 2013 following the realization by Del Mar College’s Student Government Association that many students were offering both their time and services to the Corpus Christi community. Although some students are required as part of their course curriculum to participate in volunteer work, any student who wishes to volunteer can be a part of the program regardless of their area of study. Some of the volunteer work that has been provided since the program began includes building houses for Habitat for Humanity, multiple hours spent sorting through food for families and those in…