The Observer

We should all be a little more like Chewbacca Mom

Maria Harr, Contributing Writer
May 26, 2016

Everybody is talking about Chewbacca Mom. I know, such a cliché to start an article with, but it really does seem like everyone is talking about the viral video of a mother laughing herself silly with...

New Pokémon game brings on the nostalgia, especially for Hawaiʻi gamers

Maria Harr
May 12, 2016

My Nintendo DS is all charged up and ready to go, so I lock up the house, grab my bike, and start pumping the pedals for the town over. It’s a beautiful day to be in Hawaiʻi nei, sun shining, sky...

Test out games at the Power of Play convention

Maria Harr, Contributing Writer
May 4, 2016

The Seattle indie game developer scene is strong, especially on Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21, at the Power of Play convention. Power of Play is an intimate game industry convention,...

Live-action “Ghost in the Shell” film falls victim to Hollywood

Maria Harr, Contributing Writer
April 21, 2016

The Internet is questioning Hollywood’s ability to learn from their mistakes after the release of a production image from the 2017 live-action “Ghost in the Shell” film, in which Scarlett Johansson...

YouTube: a professional YouTuber’s worst enemy

Maria Harr, Contributing Writer
April 14, 2016

YouTube is playing a dangerous game with some of its most prolific content creators. No, I don’t mean YouTube Red, Google’s attempt to further capitalize on the success of YouTube content by offering...

Every game could be a horror game with the Oculus Rift

Maria Harr, Contributing Writer
April 7, 2016

“Immersive.” It’s the industry buzzword for virtual reality (VR). The nerd world has debated the viability of VR to death since the first Oculus Rift pre-orders shipped on March 28. Questions...

OPINION: Five lessons I learned about beards from my bearded boyfriend

Maria Harr, Editor-in-Chief
May 27, 2015

When I arrived at Central, I was disappointed in the lack of variety of men at this school. Everyone had beards. Almost every guy I met had a beard, and I feared that the beard trend would keep me single...

OPINION: Hollywood take note, I’m going to see “Mad Max: Fury Road” because of Furiosa

Maria Harr, Editor-in-Chief
May 20, 2015

Maybe you, like me, haven’t seen “Mad Max: Fury Road” yet. But for the last three days you’ve been bombarded with people telling you to go see it. Friends, co-workers and half of my Facebook feed...

New quarter, new EIC, new Observer

Maria Harr, Editor-in-Chief
April 20, 2015

This quarter will be my first go at being the EIC for this paper, but you may recognize my name from my time spent as editor of the Scene section last quarter, and assistant scene editor the quarter before that.

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Review: “Star Wars” costume exhibit at EMP Museum

Maria Harr, Editor-in-Chief
April 6, 2015

The “Star Wars” films feel like sprawling, sci-fi melodramas. So for George Lucas’ vision to come to life on film, the costumes had to be equally dramatic. Oh, and science-fictiony, of course. The “Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume” exhibit now on display at the EMP Museum in Seattle tells the tale of how the iconic characters of “Star Wars” got dressed in the morning - and it’s a story worthy of the price of a ticket. (Full disclosure: Maria Harr is a huge “Star Wars” fan)

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Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Maria Harr, Scene Editor
February 18, 2015

Wes Anderson’s films are not for everyone. This was true for “The Royal Tenenbaums,” and “The Life Aquatic.” And it’s certainly true for “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Like his other...

RHA brings “Be a Master” event back to Central

Maria Harr, Scene Editor
February 6, 2015

Students will have a second chance to catch ‘em all with the return of the Pokémon based “Be a Master!” game on Feb. 8. This year, the Residence Hall Association (RHA) has added fairy type Pokémon,...

Let’s play? Or let’s get sued?

Maria Harr, Scene Editor
January 29, 2015

Recently there’s been a lot of questions surrounding the legality of “Let’s Play” videos and gaming streams online. Let’s Plays are recorded playthroughs of video games made by gamers. They...

Gamers gather for League of Legends championship

Maria Harr, Assistant Scene Editor
October 23, 2014

The lights go down and there’s a palpable change in the air as the video stream comes up. Sound begins to play and cheers go up from the crowd of watchers. Excitement begins to build as the commentators...

Ellensburg to host tenth annual film festival

Maria Harr, Assistant Scene Editor
October 3, 2014

The cameras have been put away and the projectors brought out in preparation for the Ellensburg Film Festival this weekend. The festival, in its tenth year, will run from Oct. 3-5 with showings of a...

The ‘Burg celebrates College Radio Day

Maria Harr, Assistant Scene Editor
October 2, 2014

It’s easy to take 88.1 The ‘Burg for granted. Even students who do not tune in are treated to The ‘Burg’s music, talk shows and myriad of events when passing the SURC. Not every college is so lucky,...