Love is a Battlefield “Love is a Battlefield” sang Pat Benatar. It’s as catchy as ‘80s pop hits can get. However, my mom prefers another song, which goes something like “When are you bringing a girl home again?”. For some strange reason, ‘80s pop music and my mom seem to be very keen on me finding love. Technology to the rescue! Are you having trouble meeting new people? Just install Tinder, Happn, Grindr or any other dating app of your liking. Have you completely given up on the idea that other human beings might possibly want anything to do with you? Have a look into the development of sex robots! However, I’m not planning on bringing my brand new Roxxxy to the next family get-together. And no, this Intermania won’t provide you with the blueprints. Instead, we delve into the ancient question: “What is love?! Baby don’t hurt me…” We also provide tips for finding (or avoiding) love in the Internaat (p. 22), at AC parties (p. 18) and, if all else fails, online (p. 24). Watch out, Intermate, here comes a man prepared for battle!
Speaking of battles. To counterbalance the sappiness of love, we have turned to a heavier source of material: war. Love and war are both causes and results of some heavy emotions. Similar to love, war has also gone through many technological changes. Sticks and stones no longer win wars and cruise missiles and drones have reduced a lot of the need for sacrificing ground troops. The SympoCie explains the potential of virtual reality for military training purposes (p. 30). Furthermore, where would we be without nuclear weapons (p. 33)? Not only are love and war similar, they often go together. Auke Pols illustrates this beautifully in his short story (p. 25). I hope you will enjoy this Intermania, and may the part about war inspire you to get just as angry about the coming repurposing of the Gaslab as Martijn (p. 6).
Table of contents Aquisition in a Nutshell Flowchart: an insight into Pieter’s life as Commissioner of External Affairs.
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Student Opinions Matter Commissioner of Education Anke talks about student voices in university councils..
5
Gaslab: a Requiem Martijn mourns the Gaslab not being used for cultural activities anymore.
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Committee Shenanigans
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Transitiepraktijken 9* Annabel en Vincentzijn na hun master IS bij APPM gaan werken. Hoe is dat? Super Mega A-Relaxed
Theme: love & waR Wedding Emancipation
17
Versieren Begint bij Jezelf Improve your chances at AC parties.
18*
Love in the Brain
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Hunting Season
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Digital Dating
24
Short Story: Cooking for Achilles
25
Keeping up with the Kims North Korean propaganda explained.
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VR: From Fighters to Lovers
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Cartoon Jolijn van de Laar
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Oorlog tussen Patatjes Oorlog
33*
11*
Thesis Internship in Canada 12 Instead of doing a graduation project in Eindhoven, Jip is doing an internship at the Dutch consulate in Vancouver. Culture Calendar
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Two-Faced Technologies 33 Britte looks at atomic bombs and how they inspired other technology.
Love and War: Hedy Lamarr
15*
Bier in de Oorlog
Tosti’s zijn net Mensen
16*
36*
*Dutch articles Peace of Music, or Doomed by Data? 37 Oh Nieuwe Kroeg, Where Art Thou? 38* Intermania Insanity 39 The Intermania editors engaged in set of menacing challenges. This too Shall Pass 42 Ellen recently graduated, but it wasn’t always easy.. Puzzel: In ’t Midden 2
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Table of contents
“Gaslab will no longer be as it is...” - Martijn, p. 6 33.
25.
6.
22.
Colophon Intermania is the magazine of study association Intermate, home to the bachelor’s and master’s programs of the department Innovation Sciences at Eindhoven University of Technology. The Intermania is released four times a year, with a total of 650 prints. Members of Intermate automatically receive the Intermania at home.
Content for the Intermania may be submitted in consultation with the editors. The editorial staff shall not be liable for any consequences arising from its content and reserves the right to, without notice, amend or not publish any submitted content. Articles may only be redistributed with permission of the editorial staff.
Study Association Intermate Address: Den Dolech 2, IPO 0.74 Postbus 513, 5600MB Eindhoven Phone: (040) 247 44 30 Website: www.intermate.nl E-mail: board@intermate.nl Advertisements: external@intermate.nl
Intermania Chief Editor: Editorial Staff: E-mail: Printer:
April 2017
Frank Vendrig Anke van Rietschoten, Ashly Berghuizen, Benedetta Malagoni, Britte Bouchaut, Bob Olde Hampsink, Colin de Bruin, Hugo Bezombes, Ileen Smits, Manon van Hastenberg, Marit Loonen, Pam Philippens intermania@ieis.tue.nl Drukkerij Snep
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By the Commissioner of External Affairs
Acquisition in a Nutshell Pieter, one of the five board members of Intermate, spends a lot of time behind the foosball table. but what he does inside the boardroom is still unclear. This flowchart will give you a peek. Text: Pieter Loonen, Commissioner of External Affairs of the 33th board of sv Intermate
As Commissioner of External Affairs, it is one of my tasks to reach out to new companies that are interesting for and interested in our students. There are a lot of steps between finding a company to contact, and actual collaboration. This flowchart will give you an insight into the secret life of the Commissioner of External Affairs.
Voice mail
S TA RT New idea
Decided on a company yet?
YES
Try the phone
Send new email
What now?
Think harder!
No clue?
Send email
Response after a few days?
NO
What actually fits our studies?
YES
First contact
Nice try
NO
Does the company know what our study programs offer?
YES
NO Give Info Overload Explain SI, P&T, IS, HTI, Bachelor College, Electives, Technical Tracks, etc.
Planning date and promoting activity Lecture or workshop
Send out email to (specific) members
New page on career.intermate.nl
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YES (Really Unlikely)
What kind of acquisition?
Mailing
Website service
YES Too bad
NO
Really? Really?
YES NO
Company Interested?
April 2017
By the Commisioner of Education
Student Opinions Matter
As CoE, Anke is always busy transferring students’ thoughts and opinions on education to university or faculty members. She explains in what kind of councils we, as students, can give direct feedback to the management. Text: Anke van Rietschoten, Commisioner of Education of the 33rd board of sv Intermate
In February 2015 students of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) occupied the Maagdenhuis in Amsterdam. The students weren’t happy with the (lack of) democracy at the university. They demanded that the university board should be elected democratically and not appointed. Normal students decided to take a stand against the university board. Stories of students taking over university buildings are good for headlines but there are better ways to voice your opinion to the university. In the University Council or Faculty Council for example.
education of our own faculty IE&IS. As a response to the demonstrations in Amsterdam, the Ministry of Education wants to add a new participation council. The already existing program committee will get some new responsibilities. Each program has their own program committee with both students and staff. Now the students and staff only give advice but in the future they will have to give their permission, which makes their role a bit similar to the faculty council. At our faculty the program committee already had a big role and its advice is usually followed
“...students decided to take a stand against the university board.” Around December the whole university is covered with yellow and green posters. The people on the posters are trying to get elected for the university council. Here in Eindhoven, we have two different fractions (Groep-één and Eindhovense Studentenraad) with their own points of view and plans. Once they are part of the university council, they get a say in what the board of the university decides. And yes, the university board actually listens. But there is another election going on at the same time. Students interested in giving feedback to their faculty and its plans can be elected for the faculty council. Our students talk about finances, policy and April 2017
up, but at other faculties and universities this was not yet the case. How this new regulation will work out we will see coming year. The main question will be: on what topics does the program committee have to decide and when does the faculty council have a say? I think it is really nice that the Ministry of Education is so eager to listen to students. As an adult student in higher education I would like to be taken seriously. And even though I am not a member of any of these councils, I think it is important that students give their opinion. Luckily for us, at this university, the management is listening pretty well. So no occupying the IPO building. 5
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Opinion
Gaslab: a Requiem Gaslab will no longer be available for Studium Generale’s program. Martijn can be short about his feelings towards this decision; to put it mildly, he does not agree. A sentimental throwback to better times. Text: Martijn Claessens, Student Assistant Studium Generale Gaslab, Image: Ashly Berghuizen
Pissed off and mad about it. This is how I feel. To me it’s very surreal and unreal and maybe you’ve heard about it as well. Next academic year, Gaslab will no longer be as it is and I’m pissed off and mad about it. In the week of the Bedrijvendagen and the Dutch general elections some sad news sneaked its way through under the radar and shook me all night long. The Executive Board decided that Gaslab will house ‘Innovation Space’ in the next academic year. As a result, Studium Generale will be kicked out of its pride and joy without pardon.
“Thick concrete walls,
showers everywhere. Several years later, flashy experiments were no longer feasible since a computer could model them now. What remained was an empty building with three gas nozzles, water faucets and power sockets per square meter, catching dust in the wind. It was therefore repurposed by Studium Generale to enrich you students with concerts, theater, cabaret, lectures, workshops, and whatever else, in a building that was industrial and cozy at the same time. Transformable to host events that range from LAN parties to Theo Maassen, from paint workshops to 220Volt epic DJ nights. Gaslab became the place where almost everything
massive steel doors, emergency showers...” For the people who are unfamiliar with Gaslab, lend me your ear. Long before y’all were born, in ye olde times, a place was needed to conduct high pressure experiments, with maybe some boom danger. Lo and behold, Gaslab was born. Thick concrete walls, massive steel doors, emergency
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April 2017
Opinion is possible. People who know Gaslab have surely had some magical moments there. For people who don’t know the place but are excited by now, pity for you, because Gaslab as we know it will come to an end soon. People who aren’t excited can get the fudge outta here. I’ll stop the recap and history here and tell you why I’m so pissed off and mad. “14 years, 14 years, She’s one of your kids (Studium Generale), got Gaslab for 14 years”, and you (Executive Board) just dared to give away your only real creative space in order to transform it into ‘Innovation space’, which sounds to me like the most bureaucratic, conformist, and forced way of creating innovation. Did I mention the Innovation Space will only be there for one year? It will move to the Matrix building in 2018... Afterwards Gaslab will ‘most likely’ be repurposed again for educational purposes. Which adds only more salt to my wounds. Don’t get me wrong, I have no direct hate towards Innovation space. They will try
to connect Student Teams with education, research and companies on a prime location on the campus where working together will be the main purpose. I think that is a good idea. The Executive Board thinks it’s a flabbergasting freaking fantastic idea.
“...cooking a creative soup is not as easy as putting all the ingredients in...” However, cooking a creative soup is not as easy as putting all the ingredients in. Studium Generale worked out how to use the space of the Gaslab in a multidisciplinary way, where creativity, culture, music, and even innovation could freely roam. Every artist that has performed in Gaslab always mentioned something about the interior appearance of Gaslab and I would always proudly tell them the story about the history, the cool people who came before and the freedom of creativity. Gaslab tells a story, but for me that story ends this academic year. Gaslab is dead. Studium Generale is not. They will find a way to host their variety of programs, albeit in a less authentic and creative space. This is the last time I tell the story of Gaslab, and I’m pissed off and mad about it. P.S. For you who dare to listen to some over the top red dirt heavy metal music with a fat Texan singer who portrays my feelings, look up and listen to “Pissed off and mad about it” on your favorite streaming source.
April 2017
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Intermania Undercover
Committee Shenanigans Committees often write for the Intermania and brag about themselves, but what are they really up to? Hugo and Frank went undercover inside the TostCie and Ouderdag to seek truth. No one escapes our watchful eyes. Text: Frank Vendrig and Hugo Bezombes, editorial staff & part-time detectives
If only parents knew I have finally managed to convince the leader of an as of yet uncontacted tribe to allow me to visit them: the Ouderdag. Their customs are strange and unlike anything I have seen before: they seem to use pie instead of money. They seem to value pride and dignity much less than other committees, being content with their 12th place at the Battle of the Committees. As their gathering went on, I tried to mingle and act as one of them, providing some wisdom and knowledge as an outsider. Unfortunately the sarcastic comments that accompanied my tips were not taken too well and they asked me to stay quiet or face exclusion from their tribe. Throughout the meeting, we were frequently confronted by the language barrier, their dialect of Dinglish being hard to comprehend at times. Thus I initially assumed them to be a primitive bunch, but as shown by their organizational skills, I was wrong. They have developed intrinsic networks that allow them to bring tostis back to their village. From what I could understand, they were also doing quite a good job at preparing their activity, so much so that they needed extra people. It seems that they plan on enslaving the board to accomplish their tasks… Beware of the Ouderdag. TostSee what’s happening The TostCie appears to be a group of benevolent Burgundians slaving away to produce tostis for the people every Tuesday. However, what would such a group ever need to have meetings for? It just didn’t 8
make sense! Was their seemingly harmless lunch activity simply a front for something larger, something much darker? I caught wind of an upcoming meeting at chairman Teun’s house and pretended to be an interested potential TostCie member.
“There is definitely something cultish about this committee” I knocked on the door and Teun led me into the TostCie lair. The TostCie was presently engaged in a group bonding activity, playing Mario Kart and Jackbox. Most likely, these activities help to establish loyalty, so the TostCie members won’t give their secrets away. Next on the agenda, we went to the supermarket and were instructed to scavenge for ingredients. Back at the lair we had the task of making the best special tosti with the gathered ingredients. The official goal was to try new special tostis for Intermate, but clearly chairman Teun was testing our worth here. There is definitely something cultish about this committee. As I left I realized how close I’d come to becoming one of them, one of them… one of us… I have not come closer to unraveling the TostCie’s secret plans, but I have learned that it must be scarier than previously assumed. April 2017
Transitiepraktijken
Werkende
Vincent was op zoek naar een baan terwijl Annabel zocht naar een plek om af te studeren. Ondanks deze verschillen zijn ze sinds vorig jaar collega’s bij APPM. Ze vertellen je hoe ze IS in de praktijk brengen. Tekst: Annabel van Zante & Vincent Joanknecht, APPM
Dan ben je plotseling aan het werk en kun je de brandende vraag van al je familieleden en vrienden niet meer ontwijken; “Maar wat doe je dan precies?” We zullen een dappere poging wagen om te omschrijven waar we dagelijks mee bezig zijn, al is dit net zo moeilijk als het beschrijven van Innovation Sciences aan een vreemde. Na haar internationaal semester was Annabel druk op zoek naar een afstudeerplek. Via contacten op de universiteit kwam ze in aanraking met APPM. Amper een maand terug in Nederland zat ze al om de tafel met – wat later bleek – twee toekomstige collega’s om haar onderzoek over inductieladen vorm te geven. Door de maanden heen bleek dat APPM een perfecte match was, wat bekrachtigd werd toen ze na een sollicitatietraject een baan aangeboden kreeg op de dag van haar afstuderen. Vincent was zich aan het oriënteren voor zijn eerste baan en werd door een oud-studiegenoot getipt: “APPM, echt iets voor jou denk ik!” Niets bleek minder waar. Na het eerste gesprek – inclusief uitdaging om ter plekke piano te spelen – was het voor hem al duidelijk dat dit het bedrijf was waar hij naar op zoek was. Samen werken ze nu dagelijks aan het motto van APPM – Nederland mooier maken. Practice what you preach Deze slogan past natuurlijk perfect bij de wereldverbeteraar die in iedere Innovation Sciences of Sustainable Innovation student schuilt, en dus ook bij ons. Binnen verschillende werkgebieden proberen APPM’ers dit motto in de praktijk te brengen. April 2017
Zelf zijn we onderdeel van het werkgebied Energie & Klimaat, dat een breed scala aan onderwerpen en thema’s beslaat. Van het verduurzamen van bedrijventerreinen tot elektrisch vervoer, en van zero emission bussen tot Smart Mobility. Dagelijks zijn we bezig voor zowel private als publieke partijen, zoals autofabrikanten en ministeries. Vincent is bijvoorbeeld intensief bezig geweest met de transitie naar uitstootvrij busvervoer. 28 gesprekken met marktpartijen later, adviseert hij de OV-autoriteiten over hoe deze transitie het beste vormgegeven kan worden. Annabel heeft mee mogen schrijven aan een publicatie over lokale duurzame initiatieven die uiteindelijk is aangeboden aan enkele Tweede Kamerleden.
“...De wereldverbeteraar die in iedere IS of SI student schuilt...” Hoewel we allebei onze plek hebben gevonden binnen APPM is het in het begin altijd even zoeken. Als IS’er heb je door je brede achtergrond soms niet het idee dat je ergens heel goed in bent, maar nu we onze vaardigheden in de praktijk brengen zien we dat onze kennis toch een toegevoegde waarde heeft. De kracht schuilt juist in die brede achtergrond, welke het mogelijk maakt om overzicht te hebben in plaats van een probleem te benaderen vanuit slechts één perspectief. 9
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Niet alleen busfabrikanten zijn belangrijk in een transitie naar schoon busvervoer, maar ook provincies die de concessies verlenen, netbeheerders en gemeenten vanwege de impact op het elektriciteitsnet en de openbare ruimte, en natuurlijk de gebruiker die op een
“...Zet je zeer gewaardeerde kennis in om Nederland – en de wereld – mooier te maken!” betrouwbare dienst rekent. Waar IS’ers deze visie vanzelfsprekend vinden, is dit nog lang niet altijd zo bij overheden en marktpartijen. Ook binnen APPM is veel interesse om meer te leren over transitiedenken. Ondanks dat we net van de universiteit komen, zijn we daarom als echte ‘experts’ bezig met het ontwikkelen van een masterclass voor onze collega’s. Intermate 2.0 Binnen APPM wordt er veel waarde gehecht aan de 3 V’s: vrijheid, vertrouwen en verantwoordelijkheid. Deze basis is als een warm bad als je begint met werken. Zo hebben we allebei al tijdens ons – korte – werkende leven projecten gehad waarbij we het voortouw mochten en konden nemen. 10
Gaaf! Bij een keuze voor een werkgever is het dus niet alleen belangrijk om bezig te zijn met de inhoud – wat voor werk doet de organisatie – maar ook juist met de cultuur. Hoe is de omgang met collega’s, hoe snel krijg je verantwoordelijkheden, worden er naast werk gezamenlijk activiteiten ondernomen? Zo is gebleken dat niet alleen de slogan ons als IS’ers op het lijf is geschreven, ook de cultuur binnen het bedrijf is goed te vergelijken met Intermate. Waar je dacht dat alleen Intermate-mensen verkleed gingen naar AC-feesten, hebben wij een bedrijf gevonden waar iedereen dit doet! Ook worden er van tijd tot tijd gezellige activiteiten ondernomen, van een gezamenlijke wintersport tot ‘suppen’ en – niet te vergeten – fenomenale kerstborrels. Ondanks deze overeenkomsten is er toch wel een duidelijk verschil met student zijn. In je studietijd zijn opdrachten vaak afgebakend, is duidelijk hoe je beoordeeld wordt, en kun je er – als je wil – zoveel mogelijk uren in stoppen om een goede beoordeling te krijgen. In de praktijk is de opdracht niet altijd even duidelijk, en vaak moet er een resultaat liggen binnen een vast aantal uren. Maar hoe mooi is het om te zien hoe je samen met een opdrachtgever toe kunt werken naar een duidelijk en zichtbaar resultaat samen met een groep geweldige collega’s. Iedere dag biedt nieuwe uitdagingen, wat ons werk als junior consultant ontzettend gevarieerd en enerverend maakt. Dus nieuwe generatie IS’ers, zet je zeer gewaardeerde kennis in om Nederland – en de wereld – mooier te maken! April 2017
Super Mega A-Relaxed Wanneer je aan super mega a-relaxte dingen denk kan je je al snel laten verleiden door de écht grote problemen zoals global warming, de aanhoudende nucleaire proeven van Noord-Korea, of wellicht de plastic soup die nog steeds aan het chillen is in de Stille Oceaan. Dan zijn er ook nog de ‘kleinere’ zaken, zoals Kuzu die van plan is voortaan te blijven staan tijdens vergaderingen van de Tweede Kamer, of onze demissionaire minister Kamp die houtkap in ZuidAmerika als ontzettend duurzaam beschouwt. Absoluut intens hinderlijk, maar vooral erg jammer. Maar, wat is voor ons studenten dé irriterende factor? Onze verbindende etterende bult? Het verhaal begint op een druilerige, doordeweekse avond… Dinsdagavond, al tv-kanalen zappend valt mijn oog op een aanbieding van het NS-dalurenabonnement. Normaal niet boeiend, maar sinds DUO mij niet meer gratis laat reizen en mijn vriendje naar de andere kant van het land is gevlucht verhuisd, lijkt dit aanbod met iedere seconde aantrekkelijker te worden. Deal, dat wordt de mijne dus! Paar dagen later begint mijn tocht als new-born nomade, op naar de andere kant van het land! Abonnement op chipkaart, inchecken, op weg naar Arnhem: smooth sailing. Ja, Arnhem. Leuk hoor, super leuk! Echt waar. De volgende dag had ik er in ieder geval wel weer genoeg van en hunkerde ik terug naar onze betonnen parel aan de Dommel. Tot ik op station Arnhem wilde inchecken: ERROR. Waar de automaat aangaf dat mijn chipkaart was geblokkeerd, kleurde het voor mijn ogen ook intens rood. Bij de servicebalie van de NS werd het al niet veel beter toen bleek dat mijn chipkaart al een paar jaar geleden (?) was beëindigd. Daarop volgde een emotionele rollercoaster van claustrofobie, heimwee naar Eindhoven, angst en woede: ik had het zwaar. Na een uitputtende tocht uiteindelijk aangekomen in Eindhoven. Met de stad afgesproken haar nóóit meer te verlaten, maar haar innig te koesteren. Betreffende de NS, na 1,5 maand ben ik nog steeds verwikkeld in een ‘it’s complicated’-relatie. Wat ik wel heb geleerd, altijd de positieve kant te blijven zien. Ook al gaat mijn dalurenabonnement me uiteindelijk zo’n €70 kosten, ik heb er wel minimaal 1 dag van kunnen genieten. En hoewel het allemaal super mega a-relaxed was, toch bedankt voor die ene speciale dag, NS. April 2017
Column Britte
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“Een emotionele rollercoaster van claustrofobie, heimwee naar Eindhoven, angst en woede” –Britte
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Foreign Affairs
Thesis Internship in Canada Jip got the taste of living abroad in his exchange and thus spends the last semester of his master at the consulate in Vancouver. Here he shares his experiences and adventures in the most liveable city of Canada. Text: Jip Baltissen, Student Innovation Sciences and part-time Canadian
After completing my international exchange to Milan at Bocconi University I had to decide what I wanted to do during the last semester of the master Innovation Sciences. This semester is meant for doing research and ultimately writing a master thesis. For me, one of the most important requirements for this phase was combining the master project with an internship. During my exchange I learned that I enjoyed projects more than applying theory on practical problems; in this internship my findings would have a purpose.
“The Consulate was searching for a master student in the last phase of the study program with expertise in the field of innovation.� One of the internships I applied for was an internship at the Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Vancouver BC, Canada. The Consulate was searching for a master student in the last phase of the study program with expertise in the field of innovation. After doing some research on Vancouver, I found that the technology sector in British Columbia (BC) has been developing at a fast pace over the last decade. 12
An interesting place to conduct research in the field of innovation, which I why I decided to give it a try. After two interviewing rounds I received the great news that I was selected and I had to prepare for a new adventure! The office of the Consulate General is located at the 8th floor of the Bank of Montreal building in the middle of Downtown. There are seven people working at the office: The Consul General, the Deputy Consul General, a permanent employee for economic affairs, two secretaries, and two employees for consular work. Every six months two students are given the opportunity to do an internship at this office in Canada and conduct research for their studies. This semester I am working together with another student who is doing a double master’s degree in Political Science at the University of Amsterdam and Middle-Eastern studies at the University of Groningen. She is focussing on sustainable energy policies in BC. Our daily activities include answering trade questions of Dutch companies who are interested in doing business in West-Canada, and we also help organise events for the Dutch community and businesses in Vancouver. Most of our work is devoted to doing research in our own fields of study. What I really like about this internship is the freedom we get to explore the city and build a network, the opportunity to attend interesting events during working hours, and the amount of responsibility we get from the first day onwards. The research for my master thesis is about the collaboration between financial institutions and financial technology April 2017
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“Not a bad place to live and work!� (Fintech) start-ups in Vancouver BC. I am mainly interested in whether collaboration between these two parties in the fintech ecosystem leads to more innovative output rather than start-ups operating on their own. During the aftermath of the financial crisis this new industry received a considerable amount of traction, because banks devoted less resources on innovation and needed to focus more on implementing new regulatory requirements. Also in Vancouver, which is the economic centre of West-Canada, many fintech start-ups were founded during this period. It’s interesting to explore how a new industry is developing in this area. Also, how new technologies such as Blockchain, mobile payments and cryptocurrencies are developed and applied by start-ups who are competing, but also collaborate, with established financial institutions. Based on more than thirty individual factors across five categories (Stability, Healthcare, April 2017
Culture & Environment, Education, and Infrastructure), The Economist Intelligence Unit yearly releases a Liveability Ranking of 140 cities around the Globe. Vancouver BC belongs to the top five most liveable cities in the world and in 2016 the city was ranked third after Melbourne and Vienna. Not a bad place to live and work! However, there are also some downsides for a city that is ranked as high on this list, because Vancouver also tops the list of the cities with the most expensive real estate market. This is exactly what I encountered when I was searching for a place to stay for five months in this city. Using AIRBNB I was lucky to find a nice room in an apartment in the middle of Downtown, only 500 meters from the Consulate and for a decent price in Vancouverite terms. Culture and environment is the category in which Vancouver scores the best. I enjoy the beautiful nature this city is surrounded with. I have skied outdoors for the first time of my life at the venue of the winter Olympics, which were held in Vancouver and Whistler in 2010. Skiing in the beautiful nature, is a totally different experience than indoor skiing at Snowworld Landgraaf or Bottrop! Greetings from Vancouver BC in Canada! 13
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City Life
Culture Calendar Let´s free up our agendas to experience some more well-needed culture happening in Eindhoven! Again I made a list of performances with a variety of genre´s. Everybody should be able to find something they like. This time I want to point out that for students there are special discounts at the Parktheater and at Muziekgebouw Eindhoven. Both of them sell their tickets ´last minute´ with a sharp discount price if you, as a student, buy them 30 minutes before the performances start. Check their websites, because the price is no excuse to stay at home anymore! *Dutch-spoken
April
May
*Sat 15 - Parktheater De Grote Improvisatieshow €25.50 / €12.50** Comedy
*Wed 3 - Parktheater De Man is Lam Het Zuidelijk Toneel €14.00 / €12.50* Theater
Thur 20 - NatLab The Game Changers
Sun 21 - Muziekgebouw Lay Down Concert (ligconcert) €22.50 Relaxing classical music
€8.00 Film
*Fri 21 - Muziekgebouw Casual Classics
*Wed 24 - Effenaar PopQuiz Marathon
€5.00 Classical music (beginners)
€25.00 Quizzes all over Eindhoven
Sun 21 - Effenaar Vunzige Deuntjes
Fri 26 - Effenaar Hitzone
** Last-minute price.
€10.00 Hip Hop-Reggaeton party
€15.00 Party like it's 1999
April Tue 11 - Parktheater Extrêmités Cirque Inextrémiste €12.00 Circus
Sun 23 - PopEI Noche Flamenca (Spanish Night) Pay what you want Music - Dance - Food
Wed 12 - Parktheater Celebrating life South African Road Trip €20.00 / €12.50** South African music show
Fri 8 - Effenaar Virtual Game Night
Sat 27 - Muziekgebouw Broken Brass Ensemble Free! Jazz / hip hop / funk
€70.00 for 2 persons VR gaming Text & Picks: Anoek de Jonge, culture enthusiast
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April 2017
Column Jan
Liefde & Oorlog: Hedy Lamarr Van Oostenrijks-Hongaarse komaf, filmster, als 18-jarige getrouwd met een wapenhandelaar, ‘gevlucht’, Hollywood-ster en uitvindster. Zo’n samenballing aan verworvenheden komen tegenwoordig niet meer voor. Nu tel je alleen maar mee als je een superspecialist bent. Geen timmerman maar deurenafhanger, geen werktuigbouwer maar batterijspecialist, etc. Wat heeft Hedy Lamarr te maken met het thema van deze Intermania? Alles, want afgezien van haar alleskunnen speelde haar levensverhaal zich af in Oorlog en Liefde. De zeer rijke Oostenrijkse echtgenoot van Lamarr troonde haar (als trofee?) in de jaren dertig mee op zijn ontmoetingen met wetenschappers en wapendeskundigen. Na vier jaar huwelijk met deze jaloerse en bezitterige wapenhandelaar vluchtte ze bij hem vandaan. Zo ontmoette ze een Hollywood-scout in Parijs die haar als ‘de mooiste vrouw op de wereld’ introduceerde in de Amerikaanse filmindustrie. Ze trouwde nog vijf keer en had naast een biologische zoon en dochter ook nog een geadopteerde zoon. Tot zo ver de Liefde, nu naar de Oorlog. Hedy Lamarr was niet alleen mooi maar ook bijzonder innovatief en ze versloeg de verveling in het in haar ogen oersaaie Amerika en de filmindustrie door over allerlei toegepaste wetenschap na te denken. Tot haar uitvindingen behoren verkeerslichtverbeteringen, maar ook een tablet waarmee je een koolzuurhoudende drank kunt maken, en het octrooi dat tot op de dag van vandaag tot de verbeelding spreekt wat zij ‘Secret Communications System’ noemde. GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, maar ook CDMA/GSM/UMTS/4G zijn allemaal schatplichtig aan haar octrooi No 2.292.387 van 10 juni 1941. Zij was in de jaren van haar eerste huwelijk door heel Europa was meegezeuld al geïnteresseerd geraakt in het via radiogolven besturen van bijvoorbeeld torpedo’s. Haar bijdrage was het jam-proof maken van die radiografische besturing zodat het vijandelijke verstoren van de route van de torpedo niet mogelijk was. Daarbij maakte ze samen met haar mede uitvinder, de pianist George Antheil, gebruik van een frequentie verspringtechniek die het verstoren van de radiosignalen onmogelijk maakte. Haar kennis en zijn kennis opgedaan met het inspelen van pianola-rollen leverden een revolutionair, zeer veilig communicatiesysteem op. De Amerikaanse marine ging het systeem pas in 1962 gebruiken waarmee ze overigens ook ontsnapten aan het betalen van licentiegebruikskosten, na twintig jaar was het octrooi immers verlopen. Ik ken geen mooier verhaal over Liefde en Oorlog en maatschappelijke bijdrage in onze recente geschiedenis. April 2017
“GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth zijn allemaal schatplichtig aan haar octrooi.” –Jan Smits
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TostCie
Tosti’s zijn net Mensen - Wat voor saus ben jij? Altijd al willen weten welke tosti-saus jouw persoonlijkheid het beste omschrijft? Hoe heurt het eigenlijk op het gebied van tosti’s met saus? Jacob legt uit welke sauzen van je tosti een culinair hoogstandje maken. Tekst: Jacob Krikke, tostibakker en Jort Kelder van de tosti-wereld
Beste Tosti-lovers, elke dinsdag bakken wij iets meer te kruiden om zo meer “smaak” als TostCie met veel toewijding overheerlijke toe te voegen. Als je moeder een keer je tosti’s voor jullie. Nou hebben wij als TostCie studentkamertje komt schoonmaken zal ze een wijde variëteit aan sauzen voor jullie steil achterover slaan van de hoeveelheid klaarstaan, maar wat is nu de saus die helemaal potjes kruiden in jouw keukenkastje. bij jou past en je liefde voor Tip: minder, minder, dit ambachtelijke product minder! “Een tosti hoort naar nieuwe hoogtes laat stijgen? Lees dit even goed Mayonaise gewoon met door voordat je zomaar een Ga je schamen, mayo eet je sausje op je tosti kwakt. bij je patat! ketchup, punt uit!” Tip: ga lekker ergens anders Puur lunchen. Jij hebt geen saus nodig om van je tosti te genieten. Waarom zou je dat Chili Saus fantastische samenspel tussen brood, ham en Misschien werkte je vroeger voor te weinig gesmolten kaas verpesten met kant en klaar geld in de spoelkeuken van een chinees spul uit een flesje? Jij houdt van puur natuur, restaurant en was chili saus de enige manier dapper hoor! om je van huis meegenomen koude tosti nog Tip: iedereen heeft toch wel eens behoefte een beetje te redden. In mijn ogen kan je aan een sausje? beter je loempia in dit goedje steken. Tip: stuur een mailtje naar tostcie@intermate. Ketchup nl met de suggestie voor een oosterse tosti, Jij bent een tosti-eter van de oude stempel. chili saus zal niet misstaan. Een tosti hoort gewoon met ketchup, punt uit! Dit zoete tomatensausje is trouwens overal Al met al is het kiezen van je saus toch vooral lekker bij, waarschijnlijk ben jij zo’n type die een kwestie van persoonlijke smaak. Graag er 2 flessen per week doorheen jaagt. Bij je zien we jullie weer op dinsdag zodat je nu een ontbijt, bij je lunch en bij je avondeten. weloverwogen keuze kan maken voor de saus Tip: wijk eens van de gebaande paden af en op je tosti. probeer eens iets anders, des te meer zal je genieten als je weer eens naar de ketchup fles grijpt. Curry Eigenlijk ben jij gewoon een geëvolueerde ketchup-eter. Je houdt ervan dingen net 16
April 2017
Theme: Love & War
Wedding Emancipation
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As a kid, playing with dolls and chitchatting with my friend on the carpet in her bedroom, we would discuss the color of our future houses, how many ponies we would have and how big our wedding dresses would be. My parents happen not to be married, and this was pretty exceptional in Italy in the ’90s. All my friends’ parents were married, all my teachers were, all the movies I watched told the stories of men and women falling in love with marriage being the most appropriate consequence. Almost all the adults in my surroundings were married with kids and never divorced. Marriage felt like a totally natural step in everyone’s life, maybe even a requirement for adulthood; with the exception of my own household, yes, but that didn’t really bother me at the time.
“As if investing together in a house isn’t enough of a commitment...” Text: Benedetta Malagoni, editorial Staff
For a similar scenario in the Netherlands we probably have to go back more than 25 years. Still, there was a time where up to 85% of the Dutch men and women above 30 years of age were married, while now only 31% is (source: cbs.nl). Apart from dwindling religiousness, there are several causes of this turnaround. Higher education is a more accessible, for example, resulting in more and more (young) adults postponing settling down. People also have more doubts about the meaning of marriage. Young couples move in together and have kids without feeling the need of becoming each other’s legal partners. Would a wedding add any value to their union? Or is it just a stressful and expensive party? Still, even the Dutch society is not yet completely emancipated from the marital institution. Buying a house together without being married is possible nowadays and even quite simple, but your share of it will be inherited by your family in case you die. Of course, marriage isn’t the only solution in this case. A simple cohabitation agreement (in Dutch: samenlevingscontract) is enough to define the boundaries of ownership in case one of the partners deceases. Still, your parents’ marital state is recognized by the legal system as more important than the fact that you decided to buy a house April 2017
with someone. You need to inform your community that you and your partner actually are partners and intend to be together for the rest of your lives in order for your partner to be considered owner of the house you bought together. As if investing together in a house isn’t enough of a commitment. Fatherhood is also more complicated for unwed couples. When married, the law automatically recognizes your wife’s child as being yours too. Not married? Then the father will need to officially recognize the kid first, which can be done either before or after birth. Once the kid is born, both parents will have to request joint custody in order for the father to be considered a custodian of his own child. Of course, the custody of a child is not something to be taken lightly and authorities need to be informed about who is going to take care of her/him. Yet, considering that almost half of all children born in the Netherlands in 2015 were born from unwed parents, one would think the process would have become easier by now. Society and legislation appear not to be moving at the same pace on this matter. But then again, who am I to speak, being born in a country where civil unions have only been legalized since 2016 (so yes, my parents were real pioneers). 17
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AC-Team
Versieren Begint bij Jezelf Afgelopen AC-feesten is er te weinig gefixt en zijn er onvoldoende roddels onstaan. Om jullie hierbij een handje te helpen, geven Aad en Eline zeven ultieme tips om iemand te versieren op een AC-feest. Let Tekst: Eline Stevens & Aad Zandbergen, AC-Team the games begin! 1. Begin met een goede openingszin. De eerste indruk is een van de belangrijkste dingen als je iemand wil versieren. Begin daarom altijd met een goede openingszin. Loop dus op iemand af, kijk hem of haar recht in de ogen, lach zwoel en zeg: “Ik dacht altijd dat spetters alleen uit de kraan kwamen, maar toen zag ik jou”. Een paar andere opties zijn: “Wil je dat masker even af doen, want je wilt toch niet zeggen dat je van nature zo knap bent?”, “Ik ben mijn teddybeer verloren, dus wil jij vannacht bij me slapen?” of “Als jij een hamburger was, noemde ik je McBeauty”.
2. Regel de beste outfit. Zorg altijd voor de perfecte outfit, die het beste past bij het super coole thema van het AC-feest. Heb je weinig of saaie attributen beschikbaar op je studentekamer? Dat is geen excuus. Je woont nu eenmaal in Brabant, geen tekort aan Carnavalswinkels. Met je volmaakte outfit kun je ook een leuke prijs winnen. Ook trek je de aandacht van de potentiële scharrels om je heen: winwinsituatie! Versier dus de leukste chick door eerst jezelf te versieren. 3. Laat je beste dansmoves zien. Overtref jezelf tijdens de Macarena, zak naar de grond met je vrienden en loop voorop in de polonaise. Zo word je de King (or Queen) of the dancefloor en eis je alle aandacht op! Vooral vrouwen vinden het charmant om benaderd te worden om samen te gaan dansen. Daarnaast kan je haar dansend zomaar rustig benaderen.
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4. Raak hem/haar aan. Een vrouw die een man aanraakt is per definitie aantrekkelijker dan een vrouw die dat niet doet. Zowel mannen als vrouwen voelen zich nu eenmaal meer aangetrokken tot iemand die ze aanraakt. Maar zoals je misschien wel weet, kan dat best wel eng zijn. Zeker als je die persoon heel erg leuk vindt. Dat is die altijd lastige “aanraakbarrière”. Maar hoe kan je die aanraakbarrière doorbreken? Je kunt proberen om hem/haar vol op de bek te pakken. Echter is dit 18
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niet aan te raden. De makkelijkste manier om hem/haar toch aan te raken is door iets aan hem/haar te fatsoeneren. Hierdoor heb je namelijk een reden om aan hem te zitten. Enkele redenen zijn: • Er zit bijvoorbeeld een pluisje in haar of zijn haar. • Of er zit nog een etensrest in haar of zijn mondhoek. • Het kan ook zo zijn dat zijn kraag niet goed zit. En stel: je hebt eigenlijk geen enkele geldige reden, creëer er dan één! 5. Ga samen een shotje halen. Samen shotten is dé manier om een band op te bouwen. Vol goede hoop een shotje pakken en daarna volledig van de kaart raken. Het kan nooit kwaad om een beetje alcohol in het spel te brengen. De keuze van de shot is ook belangrijk. Een shotje Dutch Dynamite geeft een ander beeld dan meteen voor tequila gaan. Tip voor de mannen: moet je schatje overgeven, hou dan even netjes haar haren vast. 6. Geef niet op! Als de eerste leuke vrouw die je aanspreekt niet ingaat op je flirtmoves, geef het dan niet op! Er zijn genoeg andere leuke vrouwen te vinden op een AC-feest. Kijk eerst goed April 2017
rond en loop vervolgens rechtstreeks naar de eerste vrouw met wie je oogcontact krijgt. Begin vervolgens met een van de openingszinnen uit tip 1. Gaat ze erop in? Probeer dan het gesprek op gang te houden en neem haar langzaam mee naar een van de donkere hoekjes van de kroeg. Wie weet waar de avond eindigen zal. Wijst ze je af? Zoek door, voor het einde van de avond zal je vast iemand gevonden hebben die ook opzoek is naar een nieuwe liefde.
“Ik dacht altijd dat spetters alleen uit de kraan kwamen, maar toen zag ik jou.” 7. Ben aanwezig bij alle AC feesten en activiteiten. Lukt het niet om op het eerstvolgende AC feest op 10 mei je nieuw vlam te ontmoeten? Niet getreurd, want de AC organiseert niet alleen feesten, maar ook drie andere activiteiten per jaar. De eerstvolgende activiteit is op 8 juni, dan wordt het jaarlijkse volleybaltoernooi georganiseerd. Dit is het perfecte moment om met iemand een paar uur te praten zonder dat je in elkaars oor hoeft te schreeuwen. 19
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Infographic
Sensory cortex:
Love in Prefrontal cortex:
involved in tactile feedback from holding hands and touching each other.
Locus ceruleus:
synthesize norepinephrine, which is involved in arousal
Nucleus accumbens:
Motor cortex:
involved in movement synchronization.
Pituary gland:
releases oxytocin and creates feelings of trust and bonding
love & war
controls dopamine release, the hormone responsible for the feelings of ecstasy and excitement
responsible for the creation of positive and negative expectations.
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the Brain
What does what?
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Caudate nucleus:
is responsible for the intense feelings of euphoria at the beginning of a relationship
Amygdala:
moderates emotions, including fear and stress
Hypothalamus:
produces oxytocin and vasopressin, the hormones responsible for the feelings of connection and commitment.
April 2017
Hippocampus:
plays a role in the regulation of feelings of reward and the development of love. Also involved in the development of memories
Visual cortex:
involved in seeing your object of love. Activates more in males than in females.
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Freshman Life
Hunting Season
Every year, the start of the academic year coincides with the beginning of a well-known phenomenon among students. Innocent and unaware freshmen girls and boys make their first appearance at the association bars, trying to blend in and make something of their new lives as students. Unfortunately, they’ll find packs of predators waiting for them, disguised as friendly elder students. The Hunting Season has opened. Text & SketchUp Skills: Benedetta Malagoni, editorial Staff
The Predators Bars on campus present a variety of hunters, with divers approaches and different goals. We will only be concentrating on those attending the Internaat. Other associations, with peculiarly different characteristics, like extremely uneven female/male ratios or stronger frat-cultures, will probably present very different types of predators and hunting techniques. In case you are curious about those, we suggest you go find out for yourself.
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The Pack These are usually groups of individuals who do not necessarily appreciate each other on a personal level, they might not even be friends, but share the same interests and goals regarding their preys. Therefore, they are often found grouped around one or two innocent (and probably also amused, or even flattered) targets. These are humorous and mellow types, they want to let you know they enjoy your company and have fun with you. They often like to make use of drinking games, as they present two main advantages: no need for interesting conversation topics and fast drinking preys. In this phase, all they are trying to do is let you have a good time in the hope you will keep coming back. These are the easiest predators to recognize and will find themselves unmasked within a couple of weeks if they do not move on to other categories. 22
The Loners As soon as the prey starts feeling uncomfortable in the pack, the most aggressive members will quickly leave and enter the loner phase. The unfortunate shy members will have to regroup and move on to other targets. Rivalry usually arises, as the newly developed loners need to establish which one of them will go for the killing, and who will have to walk back to the pack with their tails between their legs. Once that is settled, the lucky hunter will adjust her/ his approach to the specific needs of the prey. In this stage, personal attention is key. You become the main theme, your interests and stories. Therefore, loners are rather diversified and flexible. There are sweet loners, flirty loners or honest loners, those telling you that they are happy they got the chance to know you and they sincerely like you for who you are. Hunting Territory Predators and their plans of attack hugely depend on the territory at their disposal. Not all zones of the Internaat are suitable for approaching possible victims. The experienced hunters are well aware of what areas are appropriate for incursions and which should be avoided. The fighting pit, for example, is absolutely off-limits for hunting. That is the battlefield designated to the definition of dominance April 2017
Freshman Life
and authority within Intermate. Hunters found ignoring the holiness of that site will find themselves in the uncomfortable position of being attacked in front of their prey, irreversibly wrecking their credibility. The watering hole should also not be used for chasing after freshmen, even though infringements in this area are sometimes accepted. Visitors of this zone are expected to occupy this space for the time needed to gather drinks, possibly a short chat, but no more. Still, in case a hunter is doing an exceptionally good job, bystanders will tolerate a longer stay to allow her/him to succeed. Successful predators and willing victims are generally granted the privacy of the April 2017
Internaast. Although it is an isolated region, both visually and auditory, it remains public space. That means intimacy cannot be guaranteed, and that jealous friends or drunkingly crying girls might show up. The structure and furniture of the Internaat creates a number of critical points which hunters could easily use as traps. As a possible prey, it is important to know and recognize these spots. These are hard to escape corners, where a victim could easily find himself/herself surrounded and unable to leave. Looking for a nice evening with your friends? Then avoid those locations. Looking for a possible twist to your night? Find your way to one of the traps, you know where to find them. 23
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Digital Dating Spring is finally here, love is in the air… Are you single and having spring fever? Especially for this edition, Marit searched the web to provide you with some tips and insights for your online dating profile. Text: Marit Loonen, editorial staff
Profile picture:
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After analyzing 7000 photographs, some insights regarding the best What works: possible pictures were • Doing gained. “something interesting” • Group pictures (evidence that you have friends) • Animals!
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What doesn’t work for the pic: • Being in bed • Drinking So, maybe leave bed & beer and go do some ‘interesting’ stuff instead
So many lies As it turns out, 81% of the people lie about their height or weight in their online dating profile. Women tend to claim they are around 4 kg lighter than they actually are. For men, this is Education only around 1 kg, but they add Women that have a around 2 centimeters to Masters degree sadly receive their height. 9% fewer messages than women who don’t. Quite sad, but at least it provides you with a reason if you would like to drop out. For men, it Drinking is the other way around: PhDs However, good news receive 33% more messages for all female students: than men who don’t! women that drink around 3 times a week are around 5% more interesting than women that don’t. So, it’s okay to gulp down that extra glass of wine - drinking almost makes up for your Master!
April 2017
Cooking for Achilles
Short Story
Story: Auke Pols, staff Philosophy and Ethics. Illustrations: Ashly Berghuizen
Rage. I sit in the kitchen tent of Achilles’s camp - long, high and dusky in the late evening light - and unleash my rage on a bunch of onions for the fish stew. On the far side of the Aegean sea my family waits for me – has been waiting for ten long years. Sweet Agathe and our son Stelios, headstrong as a donkey at age six already... Tears run down my cheeks. He will turn sixteen soon. I have missed his youth and will never get a second chance. As for Agathe, she does not have the looks to launch a thousand ships like Helen, for whom we are fighting this war, but her smile could certainly launch one. Mine, if I could have afforded one. And if I had not been in servitude to the fleet-footed Achilles, hero, champion and insufferable pig. I fling the last of the onions into the stew and wipe the sweat from my brow. After tasting, I add a sprinkle of marjoram. If the big oaf would just flee, I could go with him and see my family again. If he would go out and get killed, I could join the funeral procession home. But ever since king Agamemnon took his war prize and concubine, the fair lady Briseis, he has just sat on the beach, pouting and grumbling... I stir the stew. Thinking of Agathe makes my stomach cramp with longing. The blighted swine was prophesied to die, but certainly not by my hand. Certainly? My eyes creep towards the hemlockstuffed balls of lard that we had laid out between the barrels and crates of food to poison the rats. One dash of hemlock in Achilles’s wine, and the beast’s body would go numb. He would choke before rosy-fingered dawn would touch the land. My heart hammers in my chest. Just one scoop. Afterwards I’d make up some story about a Trojan assassin. Without letting a second pass, I pick up the hemlock-laced lard and walk towards Achilles’s carafe. Around me the air ripples as if something huge passes through it. The
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Short Story stew bubbles, and three cooked mullets rear their blind heads out of the pot and stare directly at me. I freeze: the spoon falls out of my limp hand. “If you dare to kill the son of Tethys the sea nymph,” the fish burble, “you’d better be prepared to walk home over land.” The fish dive under. I fall to my knees and, trembling, clear away the poison.
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Over the next days I throw myself at my cooking, but I keep finding myself pacing up and down the beach like a caged animal. Achilles is alive and free, but chooses to remain in his tent while the cries of the Trojan war echo on across the plains. One afternoon, the beast orders me to prepare mutton for a delegation from the king, led by the cunning Odysseus. His best friend Patroklos pleads with Achilles to help his countrymen against the Trojans. Nevertheless, a heated argument breaks out – well, Achilles shouts while Odysseus remains unflinchingly polite. The beast declares that until fair Briseis is returned to him, he shall not so much as wave his phallos at the advancing Trojans. I have heard enough. Briseis must be returned. I know the cooks in the other camps well, and after some drinking together and a few friendly gifts, Agamemnon’s cook agrees to put Briseis on a diet of onions, beans and garlic. It isn’t long until her fellow prisoners start to complain. Within weeks, a delegation arrives from Agamemnon to deliver fair Briseis back to the beast. They take care to remain upwind. Feeling on top of the world, I dare speak to Achilles: “Now Briseis has been returned, will you take up arms for the king again?” Achilles looks at me. My stomach churns as I see the rage in his eyes. Rage at being defied in his sullen refusal of Agamemnon? “No.” Achilles strides away. I fall to the sand and weep.
For a day and a night I lie on the sand. I beseech the gods. I curse the gods. None listen. In the morning, exhausted, I stumble towards the kitchen and resume my duties. Thoughts of Agathe and Stelios keep me upright. Servants whisper that the war might soon be over. Without Achilles, the Greeks are being driven back to their ships slowly but surely. If the king flees, the beast has no choice but to follow him home. Then, one morning, Achilles orders us to prepare a breakfast of the finest mutton, fish and figs that we can find. Surprised, we set to work. Only when we clean up the bones and peels
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Short Story afterwards do I see Achilles, wearing his resplendent armour, lead his Myrmidon warriors in a sortie to repel the Trojans. My heart leaps. Finally, finally, the beast has chosen to confront his fate! He will die in battle and then we will all go home. “Yes!” I shout, toss my white linen cap to the ground and dance on it. “Get off your butt already, you big oaf! Bother the Trojans with your foul temper for a change!” The other servants shrink away from me. What is the matter? They hate the beast as much as I do. Then I notice something off in Achilles’s walk, as if he isn’t used to the heavy plating. I swallow hard. He isn’t, because that isn’t Achilles. It is his friend Patroklos, dressed in his friend’s armour in some ploy to scare the Trojans. Then where is the beast? I turn around just in time for his ham-sized fist to crack my nose. When I come to I lie on the grass outside Achilles’s camp. My nose hurts and my face is sticky with dried blood. I get up and stagger to a stream where I wash myself. When I return, I find my meagre belongings rolled in my sleeping rug thrown out the gate as well. One of the other cooks probably took pity on me. Nose stinging, I consider my options. I am broke and far from home. If I am to return to my family, it will have to be with one of the other heroes. Preferably someone with a better temper than the beast. Someone cunning, who has a wife and child waiting for him as well, so that he would also want to return home as quickly as possible. I know just the man. Smiling, I hoist my sleeping rug on my shoulder and set out for the camp of Odysseus.
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Keeping up with the Kims For over 70 years, the Kims, not the Kardashians have been ruling North Korea with an iron fist. But violence alone can’t keep the masses loyal, for that they need propaganda. Hugo looks into the different techniques used. Text & Layout: Hugo Bezombes, Editorial Staff
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Kick them out
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The text at the bottom of the picture reads “Kick out the Americans and unite the Fatherland”. This is an example of both demonization and dictat. The first technique seeks to rally people against a foreign agent, if you hate someone on the outside, you can’t hate the Kims. The second simplifies the decision making process by telling you what to do.
Beautiful people
Attractive people are depicted doing a certain action to communicate the message: if you join along you’ll be happy as well. Common (Wo)Man
A simple person with no apparent talent or trait does something extraordinary. In this picture a North Korean woman is ripping apart an American flag and “fighting against American Imperialism”. If she can do it, why can’t you? Scapegoating
From scaping a goat, it’s about punishing someone who does not deserve it. Here the USA is seen as the cause of all the problems in North Korea to distract from the fact that the problem might be the totalitarian dictatorship they have. Framing
Presenting things in such a way to favour your position avoiding directly mentioning the conflict that would have to happen to “unite the Fatherland”. By allowing people to come to the conclusion themselves, they are more likely to accept it.
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en Theme: Love & War
VR: From Fighters to Lovers Virtual Reality has endless possibilities, but can we even begin to grasp the enormity of its influence? Arjan sheds new light on this topic by explaining the impact of VR in the domain of warfare. Text: Arjan Derks, Sustainable Innovation student and VR-enthusiast
As you could have seen at the previous symposium, virtual reality can be perfectly used to train people for certain tasks. These tasks can be extended to the military domain as well, because soldiers can be trained for their complex and often dangerous tasks in a controlled and safe environment. It was shown many times that increased training decreases the amount of stress one suffers from, but it can also be used after the war.
“You can really be a part of your surroundings”
love & war
Virtual reality is a technology that provides a user with another dimension of existence via soft- and hardware. You can really be part of your surroundings. Nevertheless it is not real, so you can do whatever you want without the annoying laws of physics, or reality for that matter. In training soldiers this can be especially useful. Nowadays, basic military training is based on the Prussian model; it conditions a group of men to act as one body. They are drilled to perform increasingly complex tasks on order and without any question. The traditional approach led to soldiers literally becoming robots/slaves of their commanders, doing their bidding without questioning in horrendous conditions. This was a useful method when soldiers were all required to do the same thing. These men, lovers in peacetime, became fighting machines in wartime. 30
After a while, the infantry got better weapons to fight individually, and rifles replaced muskets leading to increased rates and accuracy of fire. Formations became more spread out and elite units began to form. They acted as light (more mobile/ versatile) infantry instead of the heavy lines, requiring a different approach to training. An example of this, is the training provided to the Korps Commandotroepen. They are given an extensive fitness course, emphasizing endurance and strength. After this basic training, they choose a field of expertise, for which an intensive and broad training is provided. The intensity and difficulty of the training mean that few are able/allowed to participate, making them elite troops. These factors also mean that training these specialists is an expensive task. But their elite training makes them invaluable troops in combat situations. It also reduces stress levels when they are in combat, since they have prepared so extensively for it that it feels like repeating an exercise to them. Virtual reality can come in to save time and money. As seen with surgeons it enables trainers to ‘cheaply’ replicate complex combat situations in training, cutting both time and effort on the individual level. As this form of training is both cheaper and arguably more effective, you can train more people to become commandos. The advantage is that the troops can go to riskier situations, relatively, since their training better prepared them for it. This means turning lovers into fighters. April 2017
Theme: Love & War After a battle, or a mission, troops have often some difficulties to cope with. They have seen traumatizing experiences, the horrors of war. Again, virtual reality can be used. Virtual reality can help them process the memories and give it all a place. It can also help to overcome possible post-traumatic stress disorder. The exact way in which it is done is similar to training dogs to handle fireworks, but inverse. In the first way, you immerse them via the VR headset into the stressful setting of combat, then you gradually decrease the causes for the stress in an approach called flooding. It helps them cope by transitioning the stress factors away in their mind, whilst they are in a completely safe environment. The second way is completely similar to training dogs: you gradually build up the noise and sight from single shots to full-blown artillery. This means that they can ‘get comfortable’ as they learn to reduce the stress when in the situation. Either way, the goal is to reduce the stress of an individual when in these circumstances. Virtual reality therapy is twice as effective and half as costly as the ‘traditional’ cognitive behaviour therapy. This means turning fighters into lovers again.
Before virtual reality, wars were traumatic experiences which changed many men. This could be seen from any war in history, but an evident example is the first World War. In the trenches, circumstances and tasks for ordinary soldiers were very rough. The scores of men that came home from the frontline, albeit without visible scars, were traumatised to a point that they were unable to readjust to
“Virtual reality therapy is twice as effective and half as costly” ‘civil’ society. A more recent example includes landmark case in the Netherlands, for which Lebanon mission veterans can make claims based on the lack of mission debriefing and resulting PTSD. Had they had virtual reality treatments, this might not even be necessary anymore, as the treatments with virtual reality have proven relatively effective compared to traditional means in reducing PTSD effects.
Picture: American Soldier training his parachuting skills through Virtual Reality April 2017
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Cartoon Jolijn van de Laan
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April 2017
KookCie
Oorlog tussen Patatjes Oorlog In deze editie van de KookCie Smaaktest: het patatje oorlog. ”Friet met pindasaus, mayonaise en rauwe (gesnipperde) uitjes” – (Wikipedia, 2017) is dé definitie van het patatje oorlog. Maar wat maakt of kraakt hem? Tekst: Anne Jane Delfos & Bart van de Wetering
Na een heerlijke borrel in de zon rommelden de KookCie-magen dus gingen we op zoek naar het perfecte patatje oorlog op Stratum. De eerste stop werd gemaakt bij ‘Snackbar Anytime’ bekend om de nabijheid van de Santé. Hoewel het frietje oorlog niet op de kaart stond konden wij deze toch bestellen voor een redelijke prijs van €2,50. De friet werd binnen vijf minuten geserveerd met royaal veel pindasaus, mayo en grofgesneden ui. De patat had iets langer gemogen maar het
restaurant zag er verder mooi uit, dus zeker geen slechte keuze. De tweede stop lag 60 meter verderop, namelijk ‘Eind39’, die het patatje oorlog wél op de kaart had staan. Voor €3,75 (Wuuuuut zoveel geld heeft toch niemand?) kregen wij na drie minuten onze frietjes die we in naam van de wetenschap hebben opgegeten, want eigenlijk kwam het nu al onze neus uit. De smaak van de pindasaus was het enige dat een beetje positief was, maar verder was dit een zeer abominabele vertoning. Al met al hebben we een paar belangrijke lessen geleerd van deze smaaktest. Zo heeft Stratumseind een erg grote frietzaakdichtheid, is een tweede portie al snel misselijkmakend en zijn de wc’s bij de geteste eetgelegenheden niet de moeite waard. Dan rest slechts het bekend maken van de winnaar van de patatjes oorlog oorlog: Snackbar Anytime!
Theme: Love & War
Two-Faced Technologies During warfare, technologies are often specifically designed with the intention of killing of people. But when wartime is over, many of these technologies find a new destination. Britte explains the two faces of nuclear technology. Text: Britte Bouchaut, Student Innovation Sciences & self-proclaimed nuclear technology expert
During the First and Second World War combined approximately 78 million people died. We often see planes and battleships as the most iconic technologies of these wars, but they did not have the devastating effects predicted beforehand. The technologies that were used during warfare – and the ones that made the most victims – were actually the most simple and basic technologies: rifles. Despite advanced technology being available, armies simply refused and defended older technologies. They wanted more powerful April 2017
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versions of already existing weapons, instead of making the shift to new technologies. Nevertheless, technologies used during the First World War were rather different from those in the Second World War. The First World War was mostly seen as a chemists’
“The Second World War was a physicists’ war...” 33
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Figure 1. Decay scheme of Uranium-238 to Plutonium-239 by being bombarded by neutrons (n). T1/2 = half-time value for decay of the isotope. During decay, beta-emitters (B) and great amounts of energy (electrons e-) are released.
war due to the innovation of gas warfare. The Second World War, on the other hand, was a physicists’ war due to radar technology and atomic weapons.
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The First Atomic Bomb The 1930’s and 1940’s are seen as an extremely innovative period in terms of killing techniques. Beside the development of insecticides, pesticides and other new chemicals that were especially designed for the killing of small living things, designated places for the mass killing of larger animals were also designed (e.g. slaughter houses). However, not only animals were the target of killing-techniques development, humans were targets too. One of the most profound technologies developed during the Second World War is the atomic bomb, or referred to during warfare as ‘the Manhattan Project’. The Manhattan Project was an R&D project meant to produce the very first atomic bomb. Led by United States’ general Leslie Groves and nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the project lasted from 1942 to 1946. In this project, two types of atomic bombs were developed: the gun-type fission weapon (initially called ‘Thin Man’, later referred to as ‘Fat Man’), and the implosion-type nuclear 34
“...An extremely innovative period in terms of killing techniques.” weapon, also known as ‘Little Boy’. The raw material used for both bombs was uranium, which was used as fuel for the reactors. There, uranium was transformed into plutonium, of which its enriched form was finally suitable for usage in the atomic bomb itself (see figure 1). However, not all uranium was suitable for this specific usage. Natural uranium consists of 99.3% uranium-238 and 0.7% uranium-235. Uranium-235 was just what the physicists needed. Therefore, separation of the two isotopes was necessary and technologies for separation were developed, such as centrifuging, electromagnetic separation, and gaseous or thermal diffusion. After having performed several atomic tests in 1944 and 1945 for further design and calibration, in the end the atomic bomb found its final form. Eventually, The Manhattan Project was exposed fully during April 2017
Theme: Love & War as the liver. But most of all, radioisotopes are being used as a method of treatment for various forms of tumors. In biochemistry, radioisotopes enable tracing of chemical and physiological processes that occur in living organisms such as DNA replications or amino acid transport.
“Beside new sources of energy, it functioned as a catalyst in terms
of nuclear medicines.” Figure 2. ‘Little Boy’ explodes over Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6th 1945. Right: ‘Fat Man’ explodes over Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9th, 1945.
the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, which many of our grandparents will probably still remember (see figure 2). Upside of the Atomic Bomb Despite the fact that atomic bomb research initially took many lives, it also brought along new tools for medical scientists enabling them to explore further application of radionuclides. The ‘legacy of the Manhattan project’ basically consists of atoms with an unstable nucleus (radioisotopes), that undergo radioactive decay (see figure 1). This decay results in the emission of gamma rays, or subatomic particles such as alpha or beta particles which turned out to be crucial for nuclear medicine. In nuclear medicine, radioisotopes can be used for diagnosis, treatment, and research. In addition, radioactive chemical tracers emitting gamma rays can provide information about one’s internal anatomy, or the functioning of specific organs such April 2017
Although developing an atomic bomb was the Manhattan’s Project main objective, the work done by these scientists also led to many other implications for science and technology. Nuclear power was one of the principal innovations emerging from this project. And although many concerns have arisen over waste disposal, it was an appealing option in the age of global warming and high oil prices, and still is in some countries. So, despite all the devastating implications of the atomic bomb, one could argue that there is a silver lining because understanding the technology eventually brought us so much more. Besidenew sources of energy, it functioned as a catalyst in terms of nuclear medicine. Ever since the discovery of radium by Pierre and Marie Curie, physicians have used isotopes to treat a variety of disorders. Due to the development of the atomic bomb, cancer treatment and research made a huge leap and are still making progress. The atomic bomb is just one of the many technologies that appear to have two faces. Initially developed to take lives, later adjusted to save them. But from now on, let’s agree to skip the first part. 35
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Pintermate
Bier in de Oorlog We hebben bij Intermate al een paar keer mogen genieten van de creaties van onze bierbrouwcommissie Pintermate. Bierkenner en commissielid Paul neemt ons mee naar 1914 voor een geschiedenislesje over bier. Tekst: Paul de Hooge, bierbrouwer bij Pintermate
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Het is natuurlijk heel erg dat er 17 miljoen doden zijn gevallen in de eerste wereldoorlog, maar laten we niet vergeten dat het bier er ook slecht vanaf kwam! Om de Duitse artillerie te bevoorraden werden alle koperen brouwketels in beslag genomen. Dit, en het aan gort schieten van heel West-Vlaanderen, heeft ervoor gezorgd dat iets meer dan 1000 van de 3000 Belgische brouwerijen die er voor de oorlog waren, gesloten zijn. Dit kun je trouwens nog steeds zien in België. Zo is de voormalig lambiek brouwer Hanssens na het verliezen van hun brouwketels overgegaan op het steken (mengen) van lambiek tot geuze in plaats van brouwen. Tot op de dag van vandaag brouwen ze niets. Er werden dus veel brouwerijen gesloten om de ketels af te kunnen schieten, maar er werd ook stevig gedronken door soldaten. Terwijl een Britse minister in 1916 nog zei dat “Drink is doing us more damage in the war than all the German submarines put together”, kregen de Duitse soldaten, en dan voornamelijk de Beierse regimenten, gewoon bier in hun rantsoen. Dit bier werd per trein naar het front verplaatst en de soldaten mochten ongeveer een halve liter per dag drinken. Er zijn zelfs ooit vaten bier per vliegtuig gedropt boven omsingelde soldaten. De Engelse soldaten kregen dan wel geen bier (alhoewel de mariniers wel tot 1970 70 ml rum kregen om twaalf uur ’s middags), ze lustten het natuurlijk wel. Aan het front in België was bier een kostbaar goed. Een half glas Bass (een bekende Engelse Pale Ale) kostte ongeveer een dag soldij, als het al verkrijgbaar was. Dit zorgde ervoor dat 36
“Soldaten in de buurt van kloosters hadden het goed...” de Britten zochten naar de Belgische bieren. Zeker de soldaten in de buurt van kloosters hadden het wat dat betreft goed. In plaats van met water aangelengd Engels bier konden die trappistenbier drinken. In Westvleteren duurde dit tot de soldaten de vijver bij het klooster leegpompten en de monniken weigerden nog meer bier te brouwen voor de soldaten. Westvleteren was overigens de enige brouwerij die hun ketels mocht houden, omdat de Duitsers het bier zo konden waarderen. Na de eerste wereldoorlog zijn bepaalde Engelse en Schotse bierstijlen populair geworden in België en, in mindere mate, ook in Nederland. Hieraan hebben we pareltjes als Scotch CTS overgehouden (Scotch ale of ook wel Wee heavy genoemd). Maar ook echte bieren als Orval zijn gebaseerd op Engelse technieken. Voorbeelden van Engelse technieken zijn dryhoppen (koudhoppen) en het zogeheten infusiemaïschen. Zo zie je maar, hoewel de soldaten het niet echt hadden getroffen in deze tijd van oorlog, met een biertje in hun hand konden ze tenminste even aan wat anders denken. Om het leed van iedere student wat te verzachten, komt de bierbrouwcommissie van Intermate, Pintermate, nu weer met een paar nieuwe biertjes Naast een session IPA, kunt u binnenkort ook een saison en een tripel in de koelkast bij Intermate vinden. April 2017
Column Hub
Peace of Music, or Doomed by Data? Bob Marley was suspected of choosing political sides and got shot when opposition affiliated gangsters assaulted his house. Their suspicion was based on the announcement that Marley would perform at the Smile Jamaica concert, which was organized by the prime minister to stop gang fights in the country. Even though Marley paid the price for acting suspicious by getting shot twice, he refused to cancel his performance. After the concert, he immediately fled to London, but after about 16 months he returned with the same mission; establish peace in his home country. And he succeeded. Eventually, the two prominent political archrivals shook hands in the name of peace. This touching example shows how music can affect war and peace. Regarding technology and the society (the main concern of our faculty), there are numerous interventions at different levels which are related to love and war. On the love side, one can think of dating apps and even sex robots. For war, it is impossible to think of modern warfare without guns, bombs and unmanned battle machines. Technology is not bad in itself, but through its applications and as long as intentions are pure, we should be grateful for technology. Another field of technology that is quite impartial and thus gives little room for any intentions; computational models that predict the future as reliable as possible. But can we still cherish technology if it is predicts war? Several machine learning models indicate a third world war coming. Yet, predictions of the future are based on past events. And is history not meant to be learned from in order to prevent making the same mistakes over again? Are the models taking this into account or does our awareness not matter anyway? Luckily, the interpretation of data and its analysis plays an important role in the practical implementations as well. Even if we cannot explain the underlying mechanism, machine learning has proven to be promising; or in this case worrying. “My life is only important if me can help plenty people. If me life is just me, my one security, then me no want it. My life is for people. That’s what me is.” This was Bob Marley’s explanatory motivation of returning to the place where he was almost killed. Let’s (naively) hope World War 3 is an example of a badly executed application of technology, and rely on our intuitive human emotional capabilities. And if history is indeed about to repeat itself... let it be the rise of a musical messiah instead. April 2017
"Can we still cherish technology if it is predicts war?" –Hub
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In ’t Audt
Oh Nieuwe Kroeg, Where Art Thou? Nu dispuut In ‘t Audt na 19 jaar uit haar stamkroeg ‘de Baron’ is gezet, moeten ze op zoek naar een nieuwe kroeg. Waar vloeit de alcohol het rijkst, en waar vallen gratis bitterballen te halen? Britte en Jaara rapporteren. Tekst: Britte Bouchaut & Jaara Bijvoet, In ’t Audt
Wilhelmina – Ster: 1/5 Een oud en uitgezakt café. En hoewel sommige bepaalde mensen van een ander bepaald dispuut ons graag als ‘oud’ en ‘uitgezakt’ bestempelen, zijn onze kontjes nog strak en steken onze borstjes nog recht vooruit. Misschien beschouwen sommige mensen Wilhelmina als een MILF of GILF, maar voor ons is ze toch écht te oud. D’n Hertog – Ster: 2.5/5 Best prima kroegje, alleen twee grote bezwaren. De frituur gaat al om 22 uur uit, en de tap om 24 uur. Dit kan natuurlijk niet, want tegen deze tijd komen wij, als geoliede bierlocomotief, pas net op gang. Er zat dus niets anders op dan ons heil maar bij de Hoek te gaan zoeken in de vorm van kroketten en bamischijven. Intens genieten dus deze avond, alleen op de verkeerde plaats. The Little One – Ster: 2/5 Dat kunnen we heel lang en breed gaan uitmeten, maar hij was gewoon te little. Daarnaast was het eigenlijk té donker, niet gezellig en hadden ze ook vrij weinig speciaalbier. Dit gaat ‘m niet worden. Drinkers Pub – Ster: 3.5/5 Wat hebben ze hier veel bier zeg. En veel ruimte, en veel studenten! Waar Dirk ons bij de Baron vaak tegemoet kwam met schalen snacks en alcoholische versnaperingen, gunde 38
het personeel van Drinkers Pub ons helemaal niks. Fout getapt bier dat ‘over’ was werd gewoon weer mee teruggenomen naar de bar, belachelijk! Hoezo moeten wij ons eigen bier betalen? De Groot – Ster: 1/5 De Groot was ons aangeraden door onze enigste eigen Dirk. Vol verwachting deden we dit café dus aan tijdens onze kroegentocht over het Wilhelminaplein. Borrelen tussen de rommel bleek niet zo ons ding. Niet in de trant van ‘gezellige’ beeldjes en andere tierelantijntjes, maar echt rommel. Misschien is dit wat de nieuwe hipsterlichting verstaat onder ‘Het nieuwe borrelen’, maar dan zijn wij liever audt en bejaard. Proeflokaal De Gaper – Ster: 4/5 Een mooie bruine kroeg, inclusief barman met een passie voor mooi bier. Daarnaast stond de frituur tot s ’nachts aan wat een authentiek borrelgevoel bij ons allen opriep. Tip: koop een grote koelkast en vul die met grote flessen bier, dan komen we nog vaker langs! Conclusie: Alhoewel het aanbod qua speciaalbierkroegen ons redelijk positief verraste, viel de uitwerking van onze zoektocht toch zwaar tegen. Mocht jij dé ideale kroeg weten? Laat het ons weten via inaudt@ieis.tue.nl! April 2017
Intermania Insanity
Intermania Challeges
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What started as an innocent conversation during one of our meetings turned out to be a source of utter hardship and annoyance for several Intermania members. How about we challenge ourselves? Let’s see how that ended. Text & Images: Editorial Staff; Layouting: Hugo Bezombes
Manon: Challenge: Not saying ‘no’ for one day
What happens if you force me to say yes to everything for an entire day? Well, for this Intermania Challenge I found out. What started as a sunny Sunday morning ended with some rather unexpected twists due to my obligation to say yes. My mom woke me up asking me whether I wanted to join her to Sunday Mass. I immediately said no, after which she left and I turned around to go back to my precious sleep. That is when realization hit me; I was not allowed to say no anymore! I literally jumped out of bed and found myself in church 10 minutes later. Coming home a few hours later I was hoping for a calm afternoon on the couch, until my mom (once again) came up with one of her glorious ideas. “How about walking to the city center Manon?” Yeaah… sure mom, let me just grab my motivation real quick. Imagine my joy when she asked me whether I wanted to have friet for dinner. YES YES YES.
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Frank Challenge: No dessert for a week Vla is love, vla is life. For details about my love for desserts, please see Intermania June 2015, p. 16. Perhaps the hardest part of the challenge was defining what counts as dessert. Typical dessert foods? Whatever comes after dinner? The greatest problem facing mankind is the sensation of lingering after-taste of your dinner. Drowning this after-taste with dessert is a sweet, sweet relief. Therefore, to challenge myself, I decided I couldn’t eat an apple after dinner either, since this also solves the after-taste problem. But then, when could I finally eat cookies again? After two hours? After doing the dishes? So many questions testing my willpower! Despite them, it was clear that vla was off the menu this week, which meant that all in all, I had an awful time. Picture: A murdered Vla carton, Eindhoven 2017 April 2017
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Intermania Challenges Britte Challenge: Remaining positive My challenge was to stay positive, no matter what. That meant, no grumpy behavior, no negatively-associated physiognomy, et cetera. So, as most of you know me, that was ridiculously easy to fulfill as ‘positivity’ appears to be my middle-name. All right, I’ll admit it, sometimes, it slipped my mind, but I mostly blame that on lack of vitamin D. I mean, who doesn’t want to stay in bed for the entire day if you are destined to live in the dark caverns of Woensel-West. After having soaked up the sun for more than a week now, I noticed it gets easier to stay positive. The majority of the time, I wear my happy-face (see photo). Scary or nice? Either way, time to get used to it, this is the new me!
Pam & Marit Challenge: Not whining about other people for a week Some time ago, Marit noticed how easily she sometimes complains about people; that irritating group member, that teacher that still didn’t start grading the assignment that was due three weeks ago, that person walking extremely slow in front of you… Pam recognized this too, and so our challenge was born; no complaining about other people for a week. It started all great and positive and we really did our best, but it seemed that the universe was just doing its utter best to make us fail. We’re sure of it. For what other reason would a certain person (Starting with ‘W’, ending with ‘outer’) at GM#155 spend half an hour discussing whether Delphi could make the budget change for a self-service unit or not? We just simply couldn’t win, but that’s fine. We have accepted that we sometimes deserve a lovely moment of whining.
Hugo: Challenge: Catching a Rabbit during the Layout Weekend Having missed a couple meetings, I didn’t get a challenge like all the others. Not wanting to be left out, I accepted a challenge much harder than the rest: catching a rabbit during the Layout Weekend. The first step was observation and testing out my bait. I thought, everyone likes cheese right? So rabbits might too. I put a bowl with cheese outside and waited. Waited. Waited. Then I remembered the TU/e rabbits are nocturnal. So I continued layouting, keeping an eye out for my cheesy trap. Hours went by and the sun soon set, and as it did, the rabbits progressively came out of hiding. Unfortunately they didn’t like cheese. I guess if the challenge had been spotting rabbits instead of catching them, I would have succeeded. Dinner will have to wait.
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Ashly Challenge: A sketch a day Ever since I was little Ashly I’ve always enjoyed drawing and sketching a lot. Unfortunately, growing up combined with all its obligations has not been very beneficial for the development of this “talent”. In order to boost my drawing skills and creativity, I decided to try and make a sketch every day according to a theme determined by the rest of the committee. However, I know it is a bit of a lame excuse, because making a quick sketch only requires a few minutes, but it didn’t really work out due to scheduling issues. At other times I had time, but no paper and pencil were available. Anyway, it is not like I didn’t try at all. If I were to have a little more time I would definitely like to try it again.
Bennie: Challenge: Writing with the non-dominant hand Being right-handed, like more than 85% of world population, my challenge was to write only with my left hand for a week. It’s supposed to benefit your brain and increase creativity. As we all know, our hands are hooked up to the opposite side of our brain. So, my trusty right hand is connected to my left brain, the side responsible for language, judgment and intellect. But my clumsy left side is connected to my right brain, the source of creativity, perception and empathy. Being forced to use my left hand more than usual should activate more that side of the brain. (Un)fortunately, the digital era we are living in allowed me to almost completely avoid writing for a whole week. I ended up only writing a couple of lists for groceries and making some notes on a whiteboard during a meeting. It was slow and ugly, but readable, so I’m satisfied.
Colin: Challenge: Not eating any eggs for a week As an egg-enthusiast I usually eat about a carton of eggs a week (I do try to moderate my egg intake, though). Thus, my challenge was to avoid eggs for one whole week. I can already hear you thinking “That’s not a challenge!”. But as it turned out, it was no easy feat. I failed miserably within 3 days of starting this challenge. ‘t was after a night of boozing in town that I returned home and felt a little peckish. But as fate would have it, the only sustenance I had lying about was a packet of bacon and, you guessed it… some eggs. After some inner debate that went something like this: “I don’t want to fail my challenge, but I’m hungry” I proceeded to fry up some delish eggs with bacon. Yes, I had just failed my challenge, but I did not care, for I had satisfied my craving.
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Graduation Project
This too Shall Pass Procrastinator or planner? Ellen applies the wellknown concept of introspection to herself and does not necessarily like what she finds. Will she be able to bring her graduation project to a good end? Text: Ellen Hoefsloot; recently graduated IS student; Illustration: Ashly Berghuizen
I have a strange tendency to under- and overthink things simultaneously. This typically means I haphazardly decide to do something, and then worry I won’t be able to finish it, until I find at the end of a project that I was capable all along. I’ve been quietly aware of this inclination for a long time, but it certainly came to a culmination during my graduation project. For those of you who don’t know what a graduation project looks like, this is basically it: you come up with a research question, you gather data, you think about the data you gathered, you write a report, you graduate. Easy-peasy!
“I decided to make the process more challenging by gathering my data abroad” That’s what I thought, so I decided to make the process a little more challenging by gathering my data abroad. And, to make it a real challenge, I decided to go to East Africa; a place I did not know, where people speak a language that I don’t. It sounded like a great adventure when I came up with the idea, but as soon as plans started to come together I started second-guessing, doubting, and thinking about backing out. I couldn’t oversee what my days, weeks, and let alone months there were going to be like, and I was certain I was going to mess up my field work and ultimately only manage to delay 42
my graduation. But sure enough, when I was there, the days, weeks, and months passed of their own accord! Funny how time works. Before I knew it my field work was done, my time there unfortunately over, and I was on a flight back home. Once I got back, all I had to do was write my report. As if I hadn’t learned anything from the last time I underestimated how scary things can be when you haven’t done them before, I thought writing a master thesis would be smooth sailing. I mean, as an Innovation Sciences student I had written my fair share of essays, and this was just a really long essay, right? Of course it wasn’t, and I soon got lost in the jungle of to-do’s I had ahead of me. This time though, I didn’t have a flight booked to provide some sort of deadline. As it turns out, my natural reaction to having to do scary stuff without deadlines is to do nothing much at all. Or rather, to do lots of things which have absolutely nothing
“I thought writing a master thesis would be smooth sailing” to do with what I should be doing. All this procrastination led to feelings of intense frustration, which made me decide to find out why people procrastinate by reading the entire series about procrastination on waitbutwhy.com. You see the problem? April 2017
Graduation Project Fortunately, I did find ways to get myself to write a few pages every now and then, and at some point I had written the bulk of a decent report. Somehow, this too had passed. The last hurdle to clear was finalizing the report and giving a presentation about my project. Unlike many things, I never
“My next procrastination masterpiece: finding a job” underestimate presentations, I only overthink. I hardly slept in the nights leading up to my graduation day, and despite my desperate preparation I was a nervous mess on the morning of. Inevitably, the clock crept towards 14:00, time to give the most dreaded presentation of my life. Once I started presenting I realised that - while writing essays was in no way similar to writing a thesis - giving a graduation presentation is exactly like giving any other presentation; still scary, but I knew I would make it to the other side because I had before. As time does, it ticked on, and at some point my presentation had ended. Happily, at the end of it all, my supervisors took a good look at my report and presentation and decided: This too shall pass. Now I can continue on to what will undoubtedly be my next procrastinationmasterpiece: finding a job. I can by no means say I feel confident, and the overthinking honestly started as soon as I heard I had successfully completed my studies, but I feel strengthened by the knowledge that somehow, things tend to come together. Or, as the wise John Lennon may or may not have said (one can never be too sure with the internet): “Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it is not yet the end”. April 2017
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Puzzel
In ‘t Midden Tekst: Colin de Bruin, redactie
Horizontaal: 1. past voor wap of pen 4. antitankwapen 11. Italiaanse stad 13. stokdans 15. barium 16. aarzeling 17. hier racen ze met wagens uit 11H 18. teddybeerstofje 20. hier hebben ze geen vrouwen 21. Roemenië op auto’s 22. Verband der Krankenhausdirektoren 28. plaats in New Mexico 29. hebben oudjes wel eens last van 30. drank 32. _ al 33. pianissimo 34. maat van Timon 37. carnavalshit van Eindhovense cabaretier 40. eureka! 41. rijst 42. partijtje knokken op het gras
44
Verticaal: 2. grote bioscoop 3. teletubby alsmede rivier 4. waken 5. engels lidwoord 6. model van Opel 7. wordt vaak om gestreden 8. klein koreaans mannetje 9. Spaanse liefde 10. _ constrictor 12. vergeleek zichzelf met hitler 14. _ in de water 15. muziekfestival 19. oom 22. oorlog op een veldje 23. hier berechten ze oorlogsmisdadigers 24. verwarde lama 25. slijmerig dier 26. staat op de auto in Noord-Afrika 27. belet de broek ervan te vallen 31. hoofdstad aan de Dnjepr 34. capsule 35. Amerikaans geld 36. Noorse popgroep 38. wordt de kok verdrietig van 39. polyetheen
April 2017