Tuesday, November 1, 2011 I TechNews RYAN KAMPHUIS ae@technewsiit.com 5 Indian Grand Prix adds new dimension to motor sports By Karthik Chalasani TECHNEWS WRITER It may sound surprising, but yes, the cricket—crazy nation of India is finally all set to witness its maiden Formula One race. Designed by the renowned architect Hermann Tike, the Buddh International Circuit is located to the south of New Dehli in the suburb of Noida. The circuit stretches to 5.125—kilometers and is expected to seat up 150,000 spectators. The track also has two sizable straights and an interesting mix of corners, which should guarantee a track full of challenges for drivers and engineers alike. The Circuit will be a part of the prestigious “Iaypee Greens Sports City Home” project, which also includes a 100,000 seat cricket stadium, a 18—hole golf course, and a 25,000 seat hockey stadium, all being built by the Indian—based construction company Iaiprakash Associates. Build up to the mega sporting spectacle has been quite awe—inspiring, right from September 1, 2011 when the track was officially certified there has been an expected buzz from the media all around the world, especially after the Commonwealth Games Fiasco. But, as they say, we all learn from our mistakes. There has been a near flawless attempt from the organizers to showcase India’s capabilities to the world with this Grand Prix. T0 spice up the event Metallica is set to perform at “F1 Rocks in India,” which will be their maiden concert in the country, adding to the on—circuit tussle from the world famous racing giants. With both the Formula One Driver and Constructors championships already wrapped up by Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull—Renault team, it will be interesting to see the strategy of the other teams. Although many consider India’s F1 team Force India to be a “British—based Force India“ with no Indian drivers or mechanics, the team is still expecting some local support especially after full—page advertisements in local media were run and a website calling on fans to ‘Raise the Flag’ under the slogan, “One nation. One soul. One Indian Team,” was set up. Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar is set to wave the checkered flag on race day, while Bollywood’s leading personalities are sure to be jostling for a share of the limelight before the start. All in all, it will turn out to be an exciting weekend for race enthusiasts in India given the magnitude of the event. ‘Mylo Xyloto': Coldplay continues to change sounds By Ryan Kamphuis A&E EDITOR This past Tuesday marked the release date of ‘Mylo Xyloto,’ British band Coldplay’s fifth studio album. All year, hype has been building surrounding this release, much of it due to the fact that many thought this album would never happen. Early in their career, Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin proclaimed that he didn’t think “bands should keep going past the age 0f33.” After the band’s last album, the artistic tour de force ‘Viva la Vida,’ Martin hit that age. Despite his earlier statement, the band returned to the studio after extensive touring to support ‘Viva la Vida,’ but with a new philosophy. Coldplay could make albums when they were over 33, but they just had to look at what they were working on as their last album. For this new album, Coldplay brought back Brian Eno as their producer. Eno, the famous producer/ musician who has worked with famous bands and acts such as Talking Heads, U2 and David Bowie, had worked with Coldplay 0n Viva la Vida, and was responsible for many of the changes that the band began to make in their style with that album. When you being listening to Mylo Xyloto it is clear that the changes Coldplay began to make with Viva la Vida have come to fruition, with a lot of the ideas they experimented with in that album becoming more developed in Mylo Xyloto. No longer does Coldplay sound like Radiohead and U2, as many critics claimedwith Viva la Vida. Coldplay’s sound is now uniquely Coldplay, and few comparisons can be drawn between them and other bands. Whether or not this new sound is welcome is up for the listener to decide. There’s no doubt when listening to Mylo that it is a Coldplay album, but it sounds like no Coldplay album before it. Songs like ‘Paradise’ and ‘Hurts Like Heaven’ have hard electronic riffs to them that have never really been present before on Coldplay releases. ‘Princess of China,’ a collaboration between Coldplay and Rihanna, sounds more like Rihanna than Coldplay. But despite all these changes, tracks like ‘U.F.O.’ and ‘Us Against The World’ still have throwbacks t0 Coldplay’s early days, sounding like developed versions of the songs you heard on Coldplay’s first album ‘Parachutes.’ Ultimately, I find it difficult to say whether or not I like Mylo Xyloto. If one was to simply give me the CD and not tell me that it was by Coldplay, I’d love it. But knowing that it’s Coldplay, I find it difficult to enjoy. I love the band, but this album is too much of a change for me. Instead of heartfelt songs like ‘The Scientist’ and driving songs like ‘Talk,’ Mylo is filledwith electric songs that don’t have the emotion of their earlier work. I think Coldplay went too far with the changes they started to make in Viva la Vida, which makes Mylo Xyloto sound generic. Despite these qualms, there is no doubt in my mind that the album will be successful. Tracks like ‘Paradise’ are perfect for clubs, and many tracks on the album will be heard on pop radio stations for the rest of the year. Songs like ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall’ will be perfect anthems for the sold—out stadium shows that Coldplay will no doubt be playing for the next year. But to make all this happen, Coldplay has lost a lot of the innocence and sincerity that old fans such as myself loved them for. It will be interesting to see if Coldplay works on another album after Mylo, and if so, if they continue walking down the road of changes they are currently on, or if they begin to go back to their roots. o Newly built Condo for rent 0 3 large bedrooms, 2 Full Baths 0 5 minutes away from downtown/loop area 0 Steps away from public transportation (Metra and CTA) 0 Walking distance to Illinois Institute of Technology, U.S Cellular Field and Illinois College of Optometry 0 Close to major expressways 0 Stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, high efficiency washer with full size dryer in unit, private balcony 0 Central Air 0 Garage Parking 0 Only $1900 per month Located at 3540 S. State. Contact Robert if interested: (773)319-0283 Office of Campus Energy and Sustainability In our Trash cans... Recycling 38% Organics 32% In our Recycling Bins... Other Recycling 1 5% Cardboard 55% Mixed Paper 25% Questions? Email us at campussustainability@iit.eclu