On Tuesday, March 28, Andrew Bustamante spoke to an audience of Tech students about his experiences working for the government in the world of intelligence gathering operations. 

The presentation was hosted by Tech’s chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society, an organization with the goal of promoting the importance of a strong American presence in global politics as America is one of the only financial superpowers in the world that fully acts as a democracy.

Bustamante, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative, founded EverydaySpy with the goal of bringing the skills he learned in the field to the public. 

He opened his presentation by warning the audience about his unique bluntness and candor and continued by explaining the importance of this trait for his success as an intelligence
operative for the CIA.

He started by sharing his views on the reality of the inner workings of global politics. 

Bustamante discussed how the United States is the only of the top five wealthiest nations to function as a democracy, while the other four are monarchies, authoritarian or another non-democratic forms of government. 

Similar to the political philosophy of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists, Bustamante believes that a strong American government is crucial for the safety and wellbeing of Americans.

Further, he shared that he believes that a strong American government is important for protecting the country’s unique position as a wealthy democratic nation.

He continued by identifying countries that pose a significant threat to America’s position as a global superpower. 

In particular, Bustamante highlighted China and India as particular threats to the U.S. now and in the near future. 

China currently has power over significant parts of global supply chains, a large population and a large military while India has a growing population and is industrializing at a similar rate to what China was doing 20 years ago as they were rising to global power.

The floor was then opened for a Q&A session with the audience. Bustamante discussed the changing landscape of intelligence collection in a world that is increasingly digital. 

He explained that the majority of intelligence collection is executed via signal collection, which starts the process of individual investigations, but that human intelligence collection is still critical for the most valuable pieces of information.

He then discussed his experiences as a CIA operative, noting the differences in collecting information from different parts of the world. He discussed that developing nations are much more efficient to gather information from due to the nature of the law enforcement structures in these countries. 

In contrast, he discussed the difficulty of collecting information within developed nations.

Bustamante addressed concerns about what data governments are collecting from citizens. Bustamante explained that governments buy data in bulk from companies for the purpose of performing large metadata analysis to identify indicators of criminal behavior.

He assured the audience that the government does not care about their “weird internet habits,” just about people committing actual crimes.

Bustamante then pivoted to discuss how to get a job at an intelligence agency like the CIA.

He explained that, generally speaking, a clean academic and criminal record are always good.

However, he emphasized that for human intelligence operatives, government agencies are really looking for people that are able to break the rules without getting caught.

He continued by warning that success in these positions are highly dependent on a moral and ethical flexibility that justifies the means in the moment for an ultimate end goal of ensuring national security.

Bustamante continued by identifying Tech as an institute that government agencies heavily recruit and hire from due to a few key characteristics of the Institute. 

Specifically, the Institute has been at an advantageous position as it offers a top-notch education without the globally recognizable name that has the potential to put graduates from famous schools (such as Ivy League universities) at risk when on field operations internationally. 

Bustamante then discussed what he identified to be one of the largest threats for the foreseeable future: nuclear weapons.

He continued in explaining his position that the general public’s understanding of a nuclear threat is inaccurate to the current reality of the situation by identifying that the real value of nuclear weapons in today’s global world is simply the threat or possibility of a nuclear attack.

Bustamante finished by sharing his key to success for American politics: don’t focus on the individual issues, focus on the larger goal of protecting the country’s position in global politics. 

Although the world of video games and the communities of players are often hyper masculine spaces where women feel unwelcome, there are particular games that have notably welcoming fanbases.

There are a variety of games from different genres that are perfect for any of the “girlies” in search of a new game to play.

One of the largest game developers that makes design choices with the intention of making female players feel more invited to play is Nintendo, and this philosophy shows itself in the design of the protagonist Link in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild. 

Although Link is canonically a male character, designers purposely composed the in-game character model to be androgynous to make players of all genders feel a connection with the character. 

For those in search of an action-packed adventure, Breath of the Wild is a perfect, visually stunning role-playing game (RPG) that allows players to solve problems in such a wide variety of manners; it is incredibly forgiving of more inexperienced players approaching the challenges from a non-traditional angle.

In early May, the sequel to Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, will be released featuring the same androgynous playable character and an expanded world full of action and adventure.

For those in search of a more relaxed gaming experience, Stardew Valley offers the cottagecore escapism of your dreams, transporting you into its world. Featuring a gorgeous soundtrack composed by ConcernedApe, who was the sole developer of the game, Stardew Valley offers players the opportunity to explore a world full of mysteries and secrets at their own pace. 

Players are able to design a character that visually represents them in nearly every way imaginable. As you build relationships with certain non-playable characters (NPCs), you are able to further customize your character with custom clothing created in a sewing machine or by buying accessories from a mysterious little woodland mouse.

For those who enjoy the cottagecore vibes of Stardew Valley but would enjoy a more dynamic and puzzle oriented experience, Cozy Grove is the perfect game. 

Players join a Spirit Scout (similar to a Girl Scout) on her journey to free the tortured spirits of an ancient island through puzzles, quests and crafting.

For those who want the classic dungeon crawler RPG experience but want to be able to connect closer with the playable character and enjoy stunning graphics, Child of Light is the perfect game.

You play as a princess who has been lost from her family as she makes her way through the woods back home. The game is animated in a watercolor style, with flowing colors and organic lines coming together to create a uniquely beautiful visual experience for the player. 

Child of Light implements many beloved elements of classic RPGs and mixes them with a beautiful exterior and moving story, making the game amazing for lovers of video games and beginners alike.

For those who are interested in experiencing a game that is more a piece of art than a game, the abstract puzzle game GRIS is a good fit. The game tells the protagonist’s moving story, all without the use of any dialogue or subtitles. Using only changes in the soundtrack and the visual aesthetic of the game, GRIS tells a story of loss, grief and acceptance.

Whether you are in search of an action packed adventure, a calm cottagecore escape or a classic RPG made for the “girlies”, there is a perfect game out there for any woman who wants to get into video games but is intimidated by the hypermasculine reputation of the hobby.

The Black Girls Film Camp is a nonprofit organization that hosts an educational film camp every summer for Black teenage girls interested in pursuing filmmaking as a career. 

The program operates with the goal of encouraging female Black filmmakers, who are historically underrepresented in the film industry, to tell their authentic stories in a world where that is rarely encouraged.

The program is sponsored by a wide variety of organizations, from the Arts and Science Council to Beats By Dre to TikTok.

The program accepts applications during the school year and 10 girls are selected to direct their own film based on a story proposal that they submit. 

The program is completely free for participants, and includes a 12-week-long virtual experience where participants learn about the process of filmmaking. After this experience, participants submit a story idea and 10 of these submissions are selected to be produced. 

Participants whose story pitches are selected are provided with everything they need to produce a short (three to six minute) film. They are provided with physical technology for filming and software for editing, along with a personal production team made up of Black women in the film industry.

Along with the resources to produce their film, these 10 girls are also invited to a workshopping event with Black female industry professionals during a weekend-long retreat in Los Angeles.

When the 10 films are finished with their production, they are published and screenings are held across the country. On Feb. 28, Tech’s Women’s Resource Center hosted a screening of the Black Girls Film Camp’s final films in the Student Center’s Cypress Theater.

The coordinator of the Women’s Resource Center, Miranda Garcia, hosted the screening. When discussing the event, Garcia said, “my supervisor sent me an email from the Women’s Resource Center from the director over at Emory; she sits on the board of the Black Girls Film Camp [and] her name is Dr. Chanel Craft Tanner. [She] was singing the praises of the program and it sounded really cool, so we decided that we were going to do it this semester.” 

She continued, “we did some research about it and it just sounded like a really important program.” 

“I think teenage girls are the future of feminism, so I think that’s something that was important about this program to me,” Garcia said. She believes the work that the program does “particularly for women of color who are extremely underrepresented in the film industry” is very important.

The films screened at the event ranged in their subject matter, from discussing media censorship to the way society views natural hair. When discussing which film was her favorite, Garcia talked about “Mute, [which is] sort of this dystopian future where folks who are dissident to the government can’t speak.” 

“I think that that’s a really important feminist message,  and that being an ally and standing up for folks who don’t have the same identities as you is one of the most important things about doing this work,” Garcia said.

Garcia continued by saying, “I do appreciate the quality of the films in general; one of the coolest things about the Black Girls Film Camp is that it’s a group of high school students who have access to award-winning filmmakers and really great equipment to make these films, and that’s not an opportunity that a lot of high school girls get to make their vision come true. So, I just think it’s also a really great opportunity to show what folks can do with the resources that are necessary to make something like that happen.”

The Women’s Resource Center regularly holds similar events highlighting intersectional identities. In particular, they coordinate events with the LBGTQIA Resource Center quite frequently. Garcia spoke about the Women’s Resource Center’s coordination with the LGBTQIA Resource Center for events like tabling fairs along with other offices within the Student Diversity Programs, such as the Veterans Resource Center and the Wellness Empowerment Center.

To celebrate Women’s History Month, along with the Center’s 25th anniversary on campus, the Women’s Resource Center is holding special events. 

“We’re going to be inviting some alums back to check out the space and talk a little bit about what we’re doing now,” Garcia said. 

They will also be having “a keynote speaker on March 30 and [they’ve] got a tabling fair on March 29, which is going to be sort of like a big celebration of all of the different women-focused or gender equity-focused organizations on campus and in the community.” 

For more information about future events and other collaborations, visit womenscenter.gatech.edu.

Few games have been as heavily anticipated as an open-world RPG set in the universe of “Harry Potter,” as promised by Avalanche Software after being acquired by Warner Brothers. This game would come to be entitled Hogwarts Legacy, a role-playing game (RPG) that was released on Feb. 10, 2023 for the most recent platforms (PS5, PC and Xbox X/S), and is set to be released in the coming months for legacy platforms. 

The game is set about 100 years before the events of the “Harry Potter” books with the main player character being fully customizable, from their appearance to their Hogwarts house. Players can elect to follow a path of good or evil as they navigate through the open-world game.

As developers released teaser videos showcasing a high level of customization, a large open world, a variety of spells, flying on brooms (and magical creatures) and other magical elements, the game quickly captured the attention of the dedicated fan base of “Harry Potter.” 

After its release, the game was received with mixed emotions. The game failed to live up to the lofty expectations it set out for fans, and instead proved to be a mediocre experience.

The open world of the game is visually stunning, showing off the nature of the Scottish highlands changing with the seasons. However, navigating the map and user interface is frustrating and takes the magic out of the experience.

The non-playable characters (NPCs) have been noted to be particularly boring compared to the lifelike interactions that were promised in teaser materials. Players have also complained that the characters often feel like unoriginal copies of beloved characters in the “Harry Potter” series. 

The main villain of the game is introduced through relatively casual interaction, lacking the dramatic flair that players were hoping for.

In addition to issues with the game itself, the “Harry Potter” series, which is the source material of the game, has come under fire recently due to its highly controversial author: J.K. Rowling. 

In June 2020, Rowling posted inflammatory comments on Twitter about the transgender community, angering longtime fans of her work and the internet community at large. As she began receiving pushback about her statements online, she doubled down on her position posting lengthy statements detailing her opinions on the transgender community. 

Rowling has caused smaller (though not insignificant) controversies through other online statements she has made. Notably, she attempted to add diversity to the “Harry Potter” post-publication by posting on Twitter that Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was gay. While at first this might seem to be positive, fans criticize the move as throughout the series there was no mention of this in the series, making the representation quite hollow.

Throughout the “Harry Potter” book series, fans online and news outlets such as Pop Crave noticed that certain characters were named in ways that aligned with stereotypical characterizations of their respective races. 

Most notably are Cho Chang, whose name is insensitively made up of a Korean surname (Cho) and a Chinese surname (Chang), Kingsley Shacklebolt and the Patil twins Parvati and Padma, feeding into harmful stereotypes and racist caricatures.

Hogwarts Legacy contains another poorly named character, Sirona Ryan, a transgender girl. Fans online took issue with the naming of a transgender female character with ‘sir,’ aligning with Rowling’s rhetoric that transgender women are not real women. 

However, according to the esports outlet Sportskeeda, the game’s developers have repeatedly stated that Rowling has had no direct involvement with “the production, direction of the title, or its narrative,” leading to lots of online controversy about whether or not you should play the game.

Hogwarts Legacy has proved to be disappointingly mediocre and is unfortunately based on material created by an author whose true colors have shown themselves both on Twitter and through viewing the “Harry Potter” series with the tough lenses of retrospect.