The Smoke Signal

By: The Editorial Board Following up on the closure of local Barnes and Noble at the end of last year, the Borders in the Fremont Hub, along with ten other Borders in the Bay Area, is shutting their doors in the coming weeks as part of a bankruptcy filing, leaving no major book stores in Fremont. It’s another case of survival of the fittest. The mom and pop bookstores were displaced by superstores like Borders and Barnes and Noble, and now the superstores themselves are falling victim to the growing popularity of eBook readers and online retailers like Amazon. The…

Come check out the editorial staff’s favorite duets! Create a MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

By: Vaishaal Shankar Disclaimer: Both the CR-48 and Google’s Chrome OS are essentially prototypes of future products, so the opinions expressed in this preview are of the current state of the machine and operating system, and are no formal indication of what actual Google Chrome may be like. Design At first glance the CR-48 is a plain machine, a jet black matte finish wraps the machine from edge to edge. There is a definite Apple-esque quality to the design, it seems like somebody pulled the Apple logo off an old Macbook. Included in the box is an eye catching sticker…

By: Jamie Lin & Alekya Rajanala The Smoke Signal received the opportunity to participate in an exclusive roundtable interview with up and coming movie star Alex Pettyfer, who has starred in the films Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker and Beastly. He spoke with us about his recent film I Am Number Four, which premiered February 18. The movie, based on the novel of the same name, follows the story of John Smith (also known as Number Four), one of nine chosen alien children with superhuman abilities from the Lorien planet. The evil Mogadorians are seeking to destroy these nine children in…

By: Andrew Han Don’t want to read the interview? Listen to it with the media file here: DJ Earworm Interview Ever heard of the United States of Pop? Every year, mashup artist DJ Earworm takes the top 25 hits in the music industry and creates a single mix, highlighting the best of each year’s tracks. The Smoke Signal and MSJTV had the opportunity to interview him. Smoke Signal: What got you into the music industry and DJing? How long have you been DJing or remixing, and what separates you from other DJs? DJ Earworm: I’ve been making music for a…

Join the Smoke Signal staff for 2011-12! Download the application here and turn it in to Mrs. Cohen by March 14th in room N9: (Application is now closed. Interview dates will be posted soon.)

By: Frank Chen On February 1, 40 students from Si Zhong and Shou Shi Da Fu Zhong, the top middle school and high school in Beijing, visited the MSJ campus. Of all the high schools in the Bay Area, they chose MSJ because, as they put it, “Mission is the best!” L2 students acted as tour guides and led a variety of activities for the Beijing students. The teacher from Si Zhong (the middle school), Xiao Xia You, explained that the goal of the overseas field trip was to give her students the opportunity to visit the western world. The…

By: Stephenie Yuan One of the largest fundraisers held by the MSJ Boosters Club, the MSJ Crab Feed will be held on March 5, 2011 at Newark Pavilion from 6pm to 10pm to benefit MSJ athletics and performing arts. Having previously held successful Crab Feeds, the MSJ Boosters Club is expecting a great turnout this year. Every year, over 450 people buy $45 tickets for the event at Newark Pavilion to enjoy all-you-can-eat crab, pasta, bread, salad, coffee, tea, and dessert. However, most of the revenue comes from the silent auction and raffles. Sports bring in a variety of gift…

On Friday, February 4th, music and poetry lovers gathered at Mission Coffee for a night of talented performances. Here is a recap of the Poetry Slam, a fundraiser hosted by Phoenix, our school’s art and literary magazine. On Friday, February 4th, music and poetry lovers gathered at Mission Coffee for a night of talented performances. Here is a recap of the Poetry Slam, a fundraiser hosted by Phoenix, our school’s art and literary magazine.

By: Ditha Balaji Athletics Director Tom Thomsen, the esteemed coach of wrestling and physical education teacher, was recently just named Coach of the Season for his exceptional accomplishments. Focusing on wrestling, Coach Thomsen is known for his can-do attitude towards his athletes. The Smoke Signal sat down with him to discuss his recent successes, the season, and sports in general. Smoke Signal: Did you wrestle in the past? Tom Thomsen: I wrestled all through [out] high school and college. My dad was a wrestling coach and three of my brothers [also] wrestled. I grew up in a family that…