Fortune cookies are fun to rip open and and discover the treasure hidden inside.  Few offer good advice but on this occasion, the fortune hidden inside offered true wisdom.

“Let your social instincts off the leash, and talk to all and sundry.” The fortune is basically telling the lucky receiver to let go of the expected social interactions and talk to everyone without restrictions.  

By taking this advice, people can freely express themselves to each other and break out of their inner shell.  They would appear warmer and friendlier to those they interact with.   

This advice is not meant to be taken maliciously, but rather for people to use this to be kinder to each other. It’s meant to break down barriers and the fear of being judged by others to create a kinder, friendlier world.  

It starts one person at a time but if everyone eventually finds and uses this advice,  could skip the social small talk and speak freely in order to problem solve and negotiate faster.  

By talking to all and sundry, the world would be a kinder, friendlier, and more productive place.

14 aspiring writers and journalists began a four day summer workshop on Monday July 17 with goals to better their skills.

The day began with a morning session taught by Andrew Conte on interviewing skills.  Students learned how to let an interview flow but also remain in control, along with how to ask open ended questions.  

The day continued after lunch with a session taught by Rebecca Lessner on photography and using Snapchat for storytelling.  Students were then asked to use their new photography skills on a quick afternoon field trip up Mt. Washington.  

The working part of the day wrapped up with Robin Cecala explaining to the students how they will be putting all of their work into a multimedia package by the end of the week.

The course also allows students to stay on the campus of Point Park University, giving high school students a taste of college life.  Point Park students chaperone and help the visiting students with any questions they might have.

When asked about how she was enjoying the camp Emily Kelly said, “Sitting in the common room and playing Cards Against Humanity was so fun!  The other programs are a lot of fun too.”

The second day began with a morning session taught by David Grande on basic writing skills and interviewing.  Students were challenged to write a blog post about a fortune they received from a fortune cookie.  

The afternoon consisted of a tour of PPG Paints Arena lead by Tom McMillan.  Students were encouraged to take notes and photos for their stories.

The afternoon concluded with students independently working on their stories.

On Tuesday July 18, students from the Point Park University Interactive Multimedia camp toured the PPG Paints Arena to get a behind the scenes look.

The tour began by meeting Tom McMillan, the chief of communications and a graduate of Point Park University.  He started by bringing the group into the stands and giving some basic history of the building.

The PPG Paints Arena is 7 years old with specific architectural designs to pay homage to Pittsburgh.  For example, the ceiling is not finished to represent Pittsburgh’s industrial past.  

There are even representations in the small details.  The seating signs are brown to represent industry, three lines to represent three rivers, and glass to represent the ice.

The arena is color coded because Pittsburgh is one of the few cities where all three teams are the same color.  This way, the arena looks like a truly Pittsburgh arena.

When the arena was built seven years ago, to had to fit within a city block.  As a result architects were forced to get creative.  They ended up giving fans a reverse view of the city skyline.  

The media box is able to seat 175 people during the playoffs and 125 during the regular season.

Suite 66 is the lounge were companies can take their clients.  It’s located right across from the locker room so clients can see the players as the head out onto the ice.  It also provides 22 seats at the ice level.  It’s dedicated to Mario Lemieux and the display cases house his personal trophies.

The arena hosts roughly 160 events a year.  As a result the arena has to have a great team of about 400 people to be able to transform the place from a hockey arena to a concert arena in one night.