The Cannon February 2019

THE CANNON SkuleTM’s Newspaper since 1978

cannon.skule.ca

MARCH 2019, Volume XLI

Digital Learning Software

Opinion: The Hidden Microtransactions of Learning ANONYMOUS Last semester, I had chosen to transfer into APS160, the online Mechanics course, over CIV100, as I valued the flexibility it would offer me.

However, almost immediately after transferring, I began to question this decision, as the professor teaching it had made Mastering Engineering a mandatory purchase for weekly online quizzes worth 10% of our final mark. I was forced to pay $54 for this service on top of my (objectively high) international student tuition. I even had technical difficulties getting the service to work

after purchasing it, and had to spend an entire afternoon on the phone with a representative from the publisher until I could finally access it.

I got over this quickly though, as this was just the online course, which was in no means necessary, and I personally found the online quizzes easier and more convenient than the in-person ones. However, this semester I had to purchase two of what UofT redditor u/rhymenasourus would eventually dub ‘microtransactions.’ I and many other students found this nickname appropriate Software continued on page 3

CREDIT: NADYA ABDULLAH

Shocking Truth About Quitting Coffee!

Opinion: How Clickbait Is Ruining Journalism RUKNOON DINDER Cannon Senior Editor Are you curious to know my secret? Great! But before we get to that (and I promise I have an actual technique that works flawlessly), let’s talk about how headlines such as these work to get your clicks and why honest, hard-working journalists like us despise them. But if your reaction to this headline

ranges anywhere from mild amusement to annoyance, then congratulations! You have attained Nirvana and this article is not for you.

It is the golden rule of journalism: grab your reader’s attention right away. You cannot expect your reader to stick around after a drab introduction and headlines are a big part of that. Good headline writing has long been considered a skill but,

Feeling Estranged From My Country page 6

in the digital age, a new word has become synonymous with journalism — clickbait. Put simply, it is a headline which tempts the reader to click on the link to the story. But the name is used pejoratively to describe headlines which are sensationalised, turn out to be adverts or are simply misleading. It all started with a certain business model first adopted on a large commercial scale by Youtube, where

content creators were paid for the number of views they got on their videos and every click tallied as a view. It quickly turned into an exploitation scheme, as creators realised they just need flashy titles and thumbnails for people to click on their videos. It could have been a video of them chewing gum 12 hours straight for all they cared. They were getting paid regardless of what they put up. And true content

Who Should Host the Oscars? page 10

creators suffered. It was one of the reasons big channels in 2012 like Nigahiga were essentially dead by 2015. They were clicked out of business.

Like every other digital trend online, mainstream media started adopting this clickbait business model almost exactly two years later* (it’s called the RK principle of online diffusion, look it up).

Clickbait continued on page 4

Escaping the Echo Chamber page 13

2 • THE CANNON

MARCH 2019

THE CANNON Masthead EXECUTIVE TEAM EDITOR IN CHIEF

Najah Hassan

LAYOUT EDITOR

Rick Liu

ONLINE DIRECTOR

Diana Li

GRAPHICS EDITOR

Nadya Abdullah

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Fletcher Mason Clugston

WEBMASTER

Alex Bogdan

SENIOR EDITORS Zaeem Amjad Prerna Anand Dale Gottlieb Harry Khachatrian Samuel Penner Ruknoon Shadid Dinder Marguerite Tuer-Sipos Linda Yu

Letter from the Editor Have you ever individually looked at each of your friends and thought ‘Wow! This human is so cool!”?

When I look at my friends, I am so amazed by each of them. They all do different things, they have different values and they are working towards different goals. Yet, each of them has an extraordinary story to tell. And at some point in my life, I have taken inspiration from each of their stories. Whether it is something from their past or something more recent, each of their experiences holds a lesson. Which means that you, dear reader, also have an amazing story to tell. It may not be what you were expecting, or what you were planning and right now it may not even seem like a good one to you. But one day, you’ll look back at this moment and see how all the dots connected, and your story will be an inspiration to someone else.

And that is why, the theme for this issue is Perspectives. From Toronto’s street art and thoughts on clickbait articles to eSports and women in Hollywood, this issue of The Cannon covers a broad range of topics and hopefully contains a little something for everyone.

Since I’m on the topic of perspectives and inspiration, I would like to dedicate this issue to all the open-minded thinkers out there. This one is for those people who are willing to challenge not just society, but even their own norm of thinking. It’s because of people like you that the world keeps turning. Well, not literally, but you know what I mean.

Writefully, Najah Hassan

About CONTRIBUTORS

STATEMENT

WRITERS Alyson Allen Adriana Díaz Lozano Patiño Andrew Zhao Julia Taylor Nain Haider

The Cannon is the official (serious) newspaper of the University of Toronto Engineering Society. Established in 1978, it serves the undergraduate students of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. Submissions are welcome by email. Advertising and subscription information is available at the same email or from the Engineering Society at 416-978-2917.

LAYOUT CONTRIBUTORS Raman Mangla Nadiha Khan

DISCLAIMER

PHOTOGRAPHER

Dina Castelletto

SPECIAL THANKS Anonymous Contributors WISE UofT Chapter

The views expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Engineering Society unless so indicated. The editors reserve the right to modify submissions to comply with the newspaper’s and the Engineering Society’s policies.

CONTACT The Cannon 10 King’s College Road Sandford Fleming Building Room B740 Toronto, ON M5S 3G4 cannon.skule.ca cannon@skule.ca facebook.com/cannon.news

cannon.skule.ca

MARCH 2019 Software continued from page 1 because we are essentially faced with a paywall in certain courses for marks, which resembles the predatory practices of video game publishers like Electronic Arts and others.

In ECE110, I paid $60 for WileyPLUS worth 10% of my mark, and in MIE100 I paid $54 for Mastering Engineering worth 5% of my mark. And let me remind you that these courses are mandatory, and most first year students taking these courses are forced to pay $114 on top of their existing tuition.

Personally, I was frustrated with this practice, but it seemed to me like I was the only one. My friends simply accepted it and paid for both within the first week, without giving it a second thought.

These services to me, as a novice programmer, do not seem that complex to program and yet around 800 students in first-year Core-Eight Engineering have to pay $114 for them every year. That is around $91,200 of profit for these

services, anually. And that is just for first year courses at UofT Engineering. Of course, I have heard from upper years that these microtransactions exist in several of their courses as well, and my Arts and Science friends have their share too. To me it seems completely unfair that the University continues to allow this practice, especially when it already has programs seemingly just as capable of handling these sorts of assignments for free, like WeBWorK, and even Quercus itself.

Not only that, rumors had started spreading that the professors that forced us to use these programs were getting royalties from these companies as well, which infuriated me. However, as stated in an article posted

by The Varsity earlier this year, professors who had commented on the issue had denied ever receiving incentive to use these services for these classes and had also stated that they were open to finding accommodations for students who were not able to pay the additional fee.

Yet, I was still enraged to the point of wanting to look deeper into this issue.

As it turns out, I (unsurprisingly) was not the only one irritated by this practice. On January 10th, a redditor known as u/rhymenasourus started a thread on the UofT subreddit condemning this practice, which got a lot of attention and started a frenzy on the thread where seemingly everyone started complaining about it in the span of a few days. Redditor u / No O ut side Fees Uof T first brought up the idea of a student protest, and eventually it was noticed

by Christopher Dryden, former Engineering Director and current Professional Faculties AtLarge Director on the UTSU. Following this, Dryden posted a Google Form and GitHub page to compile a list of all the professors and courses that mandated these microtransactions, which he would then submit to the UTSU at their next meeting.

I personally submitted all the information I had regarding the three courses I took which mandated them.

After this meeting, UTSU Vice-President Student Affairs Joshua Grondin said he would work with Dryden to prepare a report about microtransactions and lobby it to the Business Board of Governing Council.

The Varsity newspaper finally reported on this issue to the general public of UofT on January 27th. According to them, there is in fact a threshold for “digital learning software” prices, at $65. Of course, all of the ones which I have encountered and heard about are just under this threshold. Dryden has since posted on January 15th that these microtransactions accounted for a total of $1.5 million in student fees this semester.

I personally brought up the issue of microtransactions at the ECE Faculty meeting on January 22nd, with hopes that bringing it up with professors directly would make a more immediate change. Unfortunately, none of the professors who teach ECE110 were in attendance, and I was informed that the First Year Office was responsible for everything to do with all first-year

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courses, including ECE110.

The professors who attended said they did not see it as much of an issue, and that they were not aware students were dissatisfied with these programs. However, they did tell me that they were pretty sure professors do not receive royalties from the purchases of these programs, and one told me she would bring up the issue to the First Year Office, so they would potentially change their own policies.

By writing this article, I hope to spread awareness about this issue. Spreading the word about it, to your friends, to your professors using these services, and to your representatives in student government, all helps show the student body’s dissatisfaction with this practice. If more and more people come out and condemn it to the relevant authorities, the University will eventually have no choice but to either end this practice or explore alternatives. University is expensive, and no one wants to be paying extra.

A GUIDE TO PEY

Trust Her, She’s Also An Engineer!

ANONYMOUS Cannon Contributor Everyone made it seem like taking a year to work in the industry would be a dream come true.

It is true that there is no homework, no midterms and a lot more time for sleep. But, like most things in life, being on PEY does come with its own set of ordeals. Aside from the initial learning curve, pain of doing repetitive work, and trying my best to stay awake for all-day meetings, there is something that makes me struggle and doubt myself even more than normal, and prevents me from reaching out for help — the fact that I am

a female. I am the only only girl in a team of ten people, and one out of two girls on the floor where half an engineering team sits, despite the fact that we have at least a hundred engineers.

And this means that I kept silent when the kitchen sink was blocked by a stack of plates mixed with half finished spaghetti; I kept silent when colleagues were yelling that they won a Smash game; I kept silent when my suggestions were overlooked and accepted when someone else said it. I felt excluded and confused.

“Am I asking for too much?” I often question myself. I sometimes find

myself wondering whether it is just me or whether this is a genuine concern?

Interestingly, during my one-on-one meetings with my manager and director, they showed different views on the subject. “Sexism is always there, just like racism, it’s hard to change over time” my manager (male) said.

“Quite frankly, a female engineer needs to really stand out more than her average male colleagues to be considered at the same level of competency”. The team lead (also male) on the other hand is more supportive: “Our company does have a very low ratio of female engineers, which is drastically different from

my last engineering job where I was the only male.”

After the meeting, he messaged me that he had asked his female friends who work in STEM about this subject. It was quite reassuring to hear that even full time employees have struggled with the feeling of isolation, and they have still excelled in their position.

My advice to all you girls is to ask about gender ratio in the company during the interview because, trust me, staying in a company feeling lonely for a year and a half is not fun.

Moreover, I would like to dedicate this article to all current PEY/students at SkuleTM who feel isolated

or discouraged because you do not “fit” a group or people’s impression to a certain group. Current PEY students, please raise your concern to your manager or team leads. They have an obligation to ensure efficient teamwork and healthy company image.

Unfortunately for students at SkuleTM, you have less chances to voice individual opinion to an authority figure, but SkuleTM has a variety of student clubs where you can find friends with similar interests.

Whether it is school or work, we can only bring out the best of ourselves at a place when we feel like we belong.

4 • THE CANNON Clickbait continued from page 1 News outlets realised that articles like “Did you know Donald Trump is a lizard just like Mark Zuckerberg?

Read all about it.” generated more interest than “Paris environment conference agrees to cut carbon emissions by 40%”. As writers got the liberty to write whatever they wanted as long as they got the clicks, the Youtube fiasco ensued all over again. I like calling 2016 “The golden year of clickbait”. Especially leading up to the US election, the art of clickbaiting was so finely tuned, I could not distinguish the truth from the pile of lies.

And therein lies the problem with clickbait.

Clickbait is like the Lil Pump of journalism. It is flashy and looks fun and interesting but speaks pure nonsense (what even is “Esketit”?). You and I may be able to tell that Hillary Clinton’s alien child is “fake news” but sweet old Tiffany

MARCH 2019 who runs a bakery store in the Yukon and probably does not know much about the internet cannot. We laugh but this has led to much more serious consequences. For example, if someone writes a clickbait article about a sexual assault incident it can destroy a person’s life. I have seen people who have bought massive shares of a company after believing in their new “miracle” product to eradicate diseases, only to have lost everything when that product turned out to be hand sanitizer.

To cap it off, I have been writing stuff for as long as I can remember. From the first poem I wrote in kindergarten about my cat to this one, every piece I wrote was meant to provide an insight into how I thought about things, to engage my readers. I do not care if the only person who reads my article is my mum. I want her to learn something from

it. Clickbait to me is playing with a person’s feelings, their emotions. Clickbait is like that person you fell in love with and decided was the one until you realised they only wanted you because they were feeling lonely, then they ditched you a few months later after getting the attention they needed. It is a dirty, dirty trick employed to make a quick buck and, in my opinion, a terrible thing to do. Journalism is meant to educate the masses, not cause mass dissent. I would like to end my ramblings by asking everyone to say no to clickbait.

Don’t let the Tiffanys of the world suffer any longer.

Now, as promised, my secret to quitting caffeine addiction: everytime you go to buy coffee…buy something else instead. *The 2 year thing has not been conclusively tested. My diffusion principle is also not true, please don’t look it up

CREDIT: FLETCHER CLUGSTON

OPINION

Farewell to the Leading Lady JULIA TAYLOR Cannon Contributor The idea of a leading lady is so synonymous with classic cinema that it is difficult to pick out a movie that doesn’t have one. Women have been in movies since a time before movies had sound. Even though it’s been almost a hundred years since the first voices were carried to theatregoers, have female roles evolved along with the industry?

Quite recently, I took my Grandpa’s advice and watched his favourite movie, “All About Eve”, starring Bette Davis. If made today, this movie would be unique. Starring a woman, her main antagonist, also a woman, and no memorable male lead in sight. We are all increasingly aware of the struggle for women in our contemporary world to get equal pay, or to be

considered “bankable” enough to lead their own projects. Yet, in 1950 a movie was made, like many before it, with a strong female lead who went head to head with her opponent, not in some choreographed fight with skilled camera movements, but a dance of cutting dialogue and arguments sharpened to a brilliant point. Davis and her co-star Anne Baxter held our attention for over two hours and they didn’t even have to take off their shirts to do it.

The leading lady of classic cinema is probably slightly alien to a contemporary audience, even though she embodies many of the qualities that are now praised in female protagonists. She is strong willed, independent and freely expresses her individual opinions.

However, she also embodies many of the socio-cultural

biases of her time. Female characters of golden age of cinema were often different versions of typical female archetypes. A clear example of this are director Alfred Hitchcock’s heroines. As one of the most influential directors of the last century his choice to centre dramatic thrillers around a key type of woman continue to shape the way movies are created today.

The Hitchcock Heroine was always a young, beautiful, blonde socialite who is also clever, sexually liberated and intellectually curious. While I and many others today praise the latter part of that list, the former elements cause issue because they represent and idealize an extremely narrow segment of the female population.

Additionally, throughout mainstream cinema, leading ladies were (and still are) almost exclusively

white. There are notable exceptions, Anna May Wong was well known in the 1920’s and 30’s, but only in archetypal roles like “the Dragon Lady” or as an interesting “exotic” element rather than a real character. Josephine Baker also dazzled audiences but encountered many of the same limitations and as a result, she and many others like her lack recognition in popular culture.

Cut to today, where movies are being hailed as ground breaking for featuring a woman in a leading role. Yet, I struggle to think of a recent movie like “All About Eve” that centres on a woman, stars a woman, and in which she requires no male peer at her side to validate her story.

Perhaps what has changed and will continue to change is the manner in which a leading lady manifests her presence in a movie.

What I want to see in this new generation of leading ladies is less of the “lady” and more of the “leading”.

I call for the restoration of the female character’s independence, intelligence and strength that so far has only existed in black and white, and the mainstream acceptance of a more diverse view of womanhood. If the twentieth century saw the birth, rise and death of the leading lady, what will her twenty-first century reincarnation be?

Now, if you’re curious and want something good to watch, some recommendations, from my Grandpa and I, are All About Eve, Rear Window and Some Like It Hot directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, Alfred Hitchcock, and Billy Wilder respectively. The latter was made in 1959 and is still one of the funniest movies I have ever seen!

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MARCH 2019

Consider Problem Solving an Art SAMUEL PENNER Cannon Senior Editor In 1973 Leonard Bernstein, the American composer, conductor, and long-time music director of the New York Philharmonic, gave a series of lectures at Harvard University in an ambitious attempt to bring together many disparate fields of academic inquiry. The lecture series titled “The Unanswered Question” was an attempt to outline the idea that music could be understood at a fundamental level if elements from many different fields were applied to its study.

At the beginning of his lecture, he explains that it was through studying a piece of music through the lens of aesthetics in the philosophy department that “…the beauty and the historical perspective all came together in one luminous revelation.”

He goes on to say his big takeaway from Harvard was the interdisciplinary spirit, and that “…the best way to know a thing was from the context of another discipline.”

Leonard Bernstein’s look

into the deconstruction of music, borrows from: poetry, aesthetics, physics, and even linguistics. Through his exploration of what he calls “the universal grammar of music”, we are presented a compelling model for how we might go about tackling problems as engineers. The observation that music is made up of measurable and physical principles is no surprise to physicists, but he argues that to understand music, we must combine all disciplines for a more complete view.

No matter what discipline you are enrolled in or belong to, I want you to think back to the first time you became aware of what a discipline was. Perhaps the awareness of math, science, philosophy, or even mechanical engineering was planted in your psyche from a young age by a parent, an educator, or from media.

Now I want you to consider what falls within the domain of that discipline, and how you came about to believe it.

I think delineating boundaries is a pastime common to all humans. But who taught us how to define

a discipline? When we go about analyzing a problem statement for a client, we are meant to identify information which will help us understand, and inevitably develop the best possible solution to the problem. In the case of bridge-building we can all point toward architectural beauty and see the connection between the functional and the aesthetic.

A complex undertaking like bridge building necessitates the cooperation of many skilled professionals and laborers from hydraulic engineers, to structural engineers, and even artists.

But breaking a project down to its component tasks to be completed by the assigned discipline is not representative of the creative design spirit Leonard Bernstein was advocating.

We love to categorize things. I (as I’m sure you do too) enjoy spending Sundays organizing my book shelves for hours at a time. In some ways I think that asserting some level of control over small areas in our life brings us comfort and some degree

of pleasure. This, I think, is a characteristic of humans, and it is not always a bad thing.

What we need to acknowledge about how we categorize, and therefore think about the world around us, is that our system for doing so is likely arbitrary.

Classification systems like Dewy Decimal, the Library of Congress, or even Alphabetical are ways of categorizing that may be systematic but have no fundamental governing principle that suggests we must use them. The writer Jorge Luis Borges described in his 1943 essay “The Analytical Language of John Wilkins” an alternate classification system that sorts animals into 14 categories, including the embalmed ones, those that are trained, and, those that have just broken the flower vase.

He was arguing that attempts to categorize the world were inherently arbitrary and culturally specific, since he claimed the list called “the Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge”, was taken from an ancient Chinese encyclopaedia of the same

name. When we limit how we think about a problem through only one set of lenses we do ourselves a disservice.

The gap of knowledge transfer and best practices between engineering disciplines appears to be growing. Technologies like smart devices and AI are changing the way society lives, however, these technologies seem to be implemented without the consideration of how humans will interact with them on a societal level. If we can not better incorporate an understanding of how technology affects society, then we have the potential of doing real societal harm.

We now live in an era of new technologies and societal demands that necessitates a new design paradigm where problem solving is as much an art as it is an applied science.

Just as Leonard Bernstein embraced new perspective to better understand music, we as future engineers need to take learning from non-traditional disciplines seriously if we are going to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.

An Outsider’s Perspective On Your Country ADRIANA DÍAZ LOZANO political climate. Changes PATIÑO that I am sure, will forever Cannon Contributor impact our history. Yet, here I am looking at them When I first decided through a foreigner’s lens, to come to UofT for my somewhat estranged from undergraduate degree, I knew the place I called home all my that adjusting to my new life. I specifically remember life in Canada would mean noticing this when I first heard submerging myself in the about the oil shortages that diverse culture that thrives were taking place in several in Toronto. However, I never states in Mexico. I thought stopped to consider how that “How could this happen? would impact my perspective But, more importantly, when of my own country, Mexico. did it happen?”. Suddenly Today, living over 2000 it felt as if I was missing miles away from home, I have out on everything back started to feel like an outsider. home. I found this thought Like many other countries quite overwhelming. The now, Mexico is undergoing a worst part was the subtle rough and rapidly changing impotence that accompanied

my worrying thoughts.

Consciously, I knew that even if I were in Mexico, there was nothing I could do about the situation. However, that did not stop me from frequently wishing I could be there. These thoughts constantly haunted me. Yet, after getting distracted by school work, and carefully meditating over the situation, I realized that this ‘estranged’ feeling was not all to bad.

The truth being, said feeling was not only caused by the existing physical distance, but the actual change of mindset I was undergoing. Although I have only been in Toronto for one entire semester, I can

already notice how I have grown as a person. It may have been the fact that I had to completely readjust my mindset to be able to look at my midterm marks and not get too upset over them; or that making the most of the adventure that accompanies SkuleTM involves a lot more than just academics. Either one, or some combination of both, have impacted what I value, and therefore, what I think of my own country.

When I went back home for Christmas break, the oddness of that ‘estranged’ feeling did accompany me for a couple days. Yet, after a little while, I started to notice how

I had incorporated these new values into my perspective.

Living in Toronto has taught me to embrace and try to comprehend the different cultural contexts that every individual has. This has allowed me to go beyond any stigmas I could possibly have, and truly get to know people.

Having grown up in a place where social stratifications are severely marked, but very well disguised under the cover of political schemes, this showed me one of the factors that may have led my country to such a challenging situation. More importantly, Persepective continued on page 7

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MARCH 2019 Persepctive continued from page 6 I understood the key factors needed to improve it.

Furthermore, engineering has proven to be an area that is applicable to many aspects of my life. It has showed me that it is extremely important to understand all of the components that make up a bigger problem, but more importantly, that

a group of people, will often tend to disagree, especially when faced with a problem.

However, a step towards finding a solution involves properly converging on those ideas. I have noticed that this plays a major role when trying to reconcile people’s opposing perspectives to my own. Or when it comes to re-introducing myself to my culture, and identifying

which practices or ideologies align with my set of values, knowing that even if some do not end up aligning, it does not imply I have become a stranger to my own culture.

It would merely prove that I have grown to develop some abilities that may prove to be a useful asset in the future.

SkuleTM‘s student and teaching body is made up of a rich cultural diversity.

Thus, I know many may have a recurring nostalgia towards the place they call home. Some may have also experienced a situation similar to mine. However, I can guarantee that this community has provided us with a broad perspective on the world. One that can be very applicable when looking back at the place you call home. It can be very

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disorienting to only read what seems to be ‘bits’ of a more complete story from any situation back home.

Nonetheless, I know I have not grown away from the culture and place I identify with, I have only incorporated a new perspective to my personal context, and to the way I will look back at my home country.

Why eSports are Going to Take Over the World ZAEEM AMJAD Cannon Senior Editor eSports. If you have not heard of this term, you may very well be living under a rock. It is one of the fastest growing industries.

Once upon a time, gaming was a leisurely activity, taken up to relax your mind. Today, because of it’s recent upsurge, it is an actively sought full-time profession by many young minds. League of Legends, a popular game, held a tournament in 2018 called “Mid-Season Invitational” that had over 60 million viewers watching at the same time, greater than any other sports championship (except for the Super Bowl).

According to Forbes, eSport revenues will be reaching over $1 billion in 2019 and all kinds of investors are eying the industry. But the real question still stands: how did eSports become so big?

The short answer is, it has been in the making for a long time. Since the advent of Internet, gaming was not a lonesome venture.

You could play over LAN with friends or even random people all over the world. Then, as technology advanced, games became more appealing and visually aesthetic as did consoles. In time, gaming on inexpensive dedicated consoles was possible, making the gaming experience even more accessible to a young

audience. After that, it was just a matter of time until the gaming industry exploded.

In 2007, Justin.tv Inc created a site that allowed gamers to live stream what they were doing. Eventually, after being rebranded to Twitch Interactive in 2014, they launched a live streaming video platform called Twitch.tv where users could watch gamers play games live. This was when eSports started to explode.

Unlike traditional sport, a live chat feature on the site allowed users to directly interact with their favourite streamers without paying a dime and influence the kind of gameplay/content they were viewing.

Suddenly, gamers could interact with other gamers like them and rally behind and support their favourite content creators by donating to them. It was like a teenager’s dream come true.

Also, gaming tournaments could now be live streamed to showcase the best gamers and create interest in games.

As a result, the viewership of these tournaments grew very quickly. Today, being a content creator and professional gamer is a full-time job, both with the potential of being very lucrative.

In less than 10 years, eSports has completely revolutionized the entertainment industry.

No longer were people consuming entertainment, rather streamers and

viewers were co-creating entertainment.

Live streaming reinvented the meaning of entertainment and investors flocked towards eSports.

The massive, yet niche market has drawn sponsorships from major companies such as Coca-Cola and Intel, as well as celebrities such as

former NBA stars Shaquille O’Neal and Rick Fox. Currently, eSports is still believed to be in its initial stages. The perception of eSports is slowly changing for the better and the audience for it is also increasing. As more and more people become aware of eSports, its worth is

expected to increase to $2.3 billion by 2022, more than double what it is currently. It has seen such a success, that according to The Guardian, it may be added to the 2024 Olympic Programme. eSports fans have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming years.

8 • THE CANNON

MARCH 2019 FLETCHER CLUGSTON Cannon Photography Editor DINA CASTELLO Cannon Photographer

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OPINION

Ellen Degeneres Should Host the Oscars This Year HARRY KHACHATRIAN Cannon Senior Editor A few weeks ago, the Academy of Motion Pictures announced that for the first time in decades the Oscars would abandon its traditional format of having a celebrity host. The decision was made after comedian Kevin Hart reaffirmed his withdrawal from the nomination while on Ellen DeGeneres’ daily talk show. That brings us to the topic of this column: Ellen DeGeneres.

Historically, the annual Academy Awards has endured periods of both fallow and flourishment, subject to, among other things, the eminence of movies in a given year. But for the past half-decade, the Oscars’ ratings have withered dramatically. Last year, the overall audience dipped below 30 million for the first time.

It’s imprudent to attribute the annual ceremony’s decline to any one singular impetus; there are several.

However, if the Oscars are ever to recover, it is important to address one specific foible.

At each Academy Awards ceremony over the past few years, there’s been a giant elephant in the room.

Its bottom half is always red, and the top half blue, donning three white stars. It’s the Republican Elephant.

No matter the host, or the subject of films nominated, every Oscars ceremony in recent history has had one common theme: browbeating and haranguing Republicans from an ostensible moral high ground — and you don’t need to look hard for examples.

Just minutes into his opening monologue at last year’s Oscars, host Jimmy Kimmel called President Trump a racist, claiming the first three-fourths of “Get Out” — a thriller about psychopathic white people

hypnotizing and enslaving black people — was Trump’s favorite movie.

At this year’s Golden Globes — the precursor to the Oscars — Christian Bale, accepting the best actor award for his portrayal of former Vice President Dick Cheney in the movie “Vice,” thanked Satan (that’s not his father’s name; the actual, Biblical Satan) for “inspiration.”

Movie award ceremonies shouldn’t be subject to the insipid political musings of Jimmy Kimmel or Meryl Streep. If people want to hear left-of-center political ramblings, they can do that any time by changing the channel to CNN. Conversely, there’s “The Daily Show” (hosted by Trevor Noah); “The Late Show” (hosted by Stephen Colbert); or “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, just to name a few.

This brings us back to Ellen DeGeneres.

DeGeneres’ show is enjoyed across America, by both liberals and conservatives.

A 2013 poll revealed that Ellen DeGeneres was on par with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly as the most popular TV personality amongst Republicans. This is why Ellen DeGeneres should host the Oscars this year. The ratings speak for themselves: since the start of the millennium, ratings have peaked exactly three times for the lux gala, two of which were times hosted by DeGeneres.

DeGeneres’ success as a host largely derives from her innate ability to lighten the atmosphere in any setting or situation. Despite her tremendously fruitful career — earning a whopping 77-million-dollar salary — she’s never met an audience she could not connect with. She is one of the few Hollywood successes who, despite receiving reams of accolades, does not consider

herself a holier-than-thou arbiter of morality.

Though DeGeneres has hitherto reprimanded Trump, proclaiming that he was “against everything she stood for,” DeGeneres has always kept her personal political views off her show, and out of her public persona more broadly, opting to instead capture audiences with her genial and witty personality. Eschewing jokes at the expense of others, she once famously said, “Most comedy is based on getting a laugh at somebody else’s

expense, and I find that is just a form of bullying.”

The best-rated Oscars in decades (2014) did not disappoint.

DeGeneres brought her amiable, charismatic persona, whirling jokes at the audience.

While other hosts addressed the up-in-arms brigade of indignation at the Oscar’s meager diversity through pedantic, preachy lectures, DeGeneres instead did what she does best. She made a joke about it: “Anything could happen tonight! So many possibilities! Possibility

number one: 12 Years a Slave wins Best Picture. Possibility number two: you’re all racists.

And now, please welcome our first white presenter, Anne Hathaway.”

There’s no evidence that DeGeneres harbors any hostility to Republicans or political conservatives. On the contrary, DeGeneres staffs an (openly) conservative, Republicanvoting (again, openly) writer on her show: Adam Yenser.

Oscars continued on page 11

CREDIT: DOUG INGLISH

cannon.skule.ca

MARCH 2019 Oscar continued from page 10 Last December, Yenser wrote a comedy skit directed by conservative columnist, Paul Bois, that used sarcasm to address the very popular #MeToo movement. The sketch entailed an asteroid that was heading to Earth, with Yenser being the only one qualified enough to stop it. However, based on allegations from decades past, the conclusion of the

skit was that he was now unfit to carry on with saving the planet.

Earlier this January, Jon Levine penned an op-ed for the New York Post suggesting that the Oscars need more than an abandonment of politics. They need a whole new approach. Arguing that a conservative firebrand — James Woods — would be medicine for the award show’s near decade long trend of decline. “He [James Woods] may not be the host

you want, but for struggling awards shows, he’s what America needs.”

As tempting as that sounds — flipping the Oscars on its head, handing the ceremonial reigns to a Trump-loving Republican — it’s as likely to happen as Hillary Clinton headlining the next Republican National Convention. The issue isn’t that the annual ceremony has been plagued by the wrong flavor of politics. The issue is that divisive, partisan politics

have slithered into a cultural celebration of cinema in the first place.

The Oscars do not need to become a conservative convention. It is not preferable to have rightleaning actors like Vince Vaughn or Clint Eastwood take to the stage and flaunt their political views any more than to have Jimmy Kimmel deliver an opening monologue deriding the President as a racist.

The Oscars are a seminal

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celebration of culture in America.

They should acknowledge and award creativity, talent, and art — all things that transcend petty political differences.

And in an era where those political differences have become potently polarized, the Oscar’s ought to be an event of unity. Ellen DeGeneres’ down-to-earth, good-natured and witty humor livened and lightened the Oscars twice before; they should do it again.

HUMOUR

Seven Ways to Succeed in ECE PRERNA ANAND Cannon Senior Editor Are you a second year ECE student? Are you struggling? Because I know I am. Do you dream of the magical 4.0? Well friends, today is your lucky day because I have the secret to success.

Let’s be honest, as rewarding as being an Engineer may be, the process to get there can sometimes feel like a battle.

Personally, there are many tricks I have learned to make the best out of my journey as a student. Unfortunately (or fortunately), sarcasm may be one of my best coping techniques. With that being said, here are seven tips from a struggling ECE student.

Sleep? What is Sleep?

Good morning! If you’re lucky and live on campus, your day starts at 8am.

Otherwise, you’ve woken up at the crack of dawn in a different time zone (like Mississauga). The first thing you ask yourself: Do I really need to attend a daunting 9AM lecture? You get on with your day and next thing you know, it’s 6 pm you become delusional and believe you are done for the day - but oh no! Reality comes knocking quickly, reminding you that each of your five classes has a pre-lab assignment due; off

to the lab pre-lab. At-last, it’s 10PM, you decide to go home, but then realize that you you have five separate quizzes to study for this week. Finally, it’s 2AM - you go to sleep, or should I say you find yourself slumped over a desk, collapsed and covered in heaps of paper!

And just like the sun comes up once more - time to contemplate again.

FPGA is life – FPGA, for those of you fortunate enough to have never had to touch one of these, stands for Field Programmable Gate Array. The most important device in your life right now is not your phone, or laptop, it is your FPGA board. It is literally the best friend you never had. It helps you through some of the darkest days of your life. A wise man once said - keep you friends close and your enemies closer, but we ECE’s prefer to say “Keep your friends close, but your FPGA closer”.

Digital Systems Lab – After lecture, do you think about getting a snack at the Pit before grinding it out in the Design Center? No, you run to the lab only to be 10289218 on the waiting list for an open station.

Sometimes it feels like it is easier to get into UofT Engineering than securing a place in that lab. And, once you secure a station, you guard it with your life.

CREDIT: MATTHEW HORNE

Remember FPGA and VGA Adapter are more important than food, water and sleep.

ECE Rants – Whine, complain, and rant about how ECE is badly managed.

The best way to make friends in ECE, is to rant together about ECE. Don’t forget, friends mean lab partners (for the million labs you will have this year) which translates to more help, and believe me, HELP IS NEEDED. Appreciate the best Prof. ever – Time to make an actual helpful point. Attend all ECE244 lectures cause Prof. Tarek is the best. He is witty, sarcastic and gives the best slides. Again, as Dumbledore once said, “Help will always be given to those in ECE 244, who ask for it.”

Windows is the best – To all those people who bought Macs in the first semester, thinking that they had just made a good investment – be prepared for a wild ride, involving multiple allnighters at SF, and dreading those four, fateful words, “Connection refused by computer.” Quartus loves Windows, you love Mac, and we all hate Quartus - this relationship was doomed from the beginning.

Magellan – Imagine yourself as the target in a game of dodgeball with just a minor change that instead of one ball, a billion balls are thrown at you. That’s the same feeling you’ll have when you open this glitchy and confusing site throwing 1237487797 courses with multiple criteria to stop

you from graduating. Be prepared to deal with nightmares about not meeting the criteria for the next two years.

Lastly, please do not hyperventilate after reading these points. ECE is not as bad as this article may have made it seem. You have interesting courses and weird labs which help you make a new friend each day.

It does not matter whether you have a 4.0 or not. It is more important that you are learning, and you have fun while doing so.

Disclaimer: Taking advice from a current second year ECE student is subject to academic risk. Please read all the course documents carefully before following any tips mentioned above.

12 • THE CANNON

MARCH 2019

How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others ALYSON ALLEN Cannon Contributor Receiving midterms back can string up nervousness or even excitement inside of you.

Group chats and conversations start up saying how marks have been returned or answers are posted. You check immediately and make your own judgement based on what you received. Maybe you are happy you got above what you wanted, or you are upset because it was a lot harder than you thought. Around you, you hear the class average, what other people received, and their own comments. Your own perception can change, bringing immense relief or immense stress; however, this feeling may take its toll on you.

Based on this reaction, you can start to prepare for the next midterm. Maybe you set goals, or seek assistance in class, or take it easy; you use this feedback for your own mindset and own improvement. Ideally, that’s the case. However, we often get hung up on these measures of “success” that linger in the back of our minds. This stress could lead to overworking yourself to attempt to do better

or appear better to others, for fear of not living to certain standards. This is a harmful habit to have, which extends beyond just midterm grades.

We often compare ourselves on a daily basis at our university through other things such as seeing who started working on problem sets first, who has more work, who is more involved on campus, and more. It unconsciously becomes a slight competition, especially if we do not intend it to be. It even leads to students overworking themselves, being afraid to participate, losing sleep, and becoming overly stressed on top of their own personal goals. Most of the time, we do not even notice it is happening because it is so integrated within our lives.

Personally, I was unconsciously hooked up on this concept in my first year.

I internally justified every action, for fear of being too lazy with my homework, that I was not achieving my best potential with marks, and that I was spending too much time at home relaxing. This made my first year really difficult because I was focusing on trying to fit in, instead of learning to adjust to new

environments and enjoying myself. I was trying to compare my own success to others, and it was taking a toll on me. It was not a healthy lifestyle; I knew I had to change that for second year.

However, just like breaking any other habit, changing this mentality is difficult, especially since we are concentrating on trying to shape the best future for after university. We know that we should not cause ourselves this stress as it stalls our personal growth, but how do we do it?

Within our community, every single person has a different set of experiences, abilities, and goals that have shaped them to be who they are. As a result, we all have unique definitions for success and we complete different achievements. By collaborating with each other, instead of comparing, to work towards our own goals, we can benefit ourselves and each other a lot more. As a result, in my second year, I started setting my own goals for my marks and realized that my personal situation is different from others. I may spend more time cooking food at night and on certain courses

SO EASY!

I got another A!

VERY HARD TEST

CREDIT: NADYA ABDULLAH

for example, but that does not mean that it is wrong. This focus did not make me selfish, but rather allowed me to help others more instead of having an unwanted sense of jealousy.

To make sure you are less likely to be affected by the stress induced by subconscious comparison, set out personal goals that are reflective of your own growth. Instead of telling yourself “I want to hit the class average on my midterms” maybe change it to “I am going to put forward my best effort to get this grade”. This makes your goals independent

of others. Understand that setbacks do happen in life, and instead of feeling inferior, you can set out your own plan to do better. Sometimes a bad day, or something unexpected occurs that may affect your plans, but that is okay. It is important to note that everyone has different ways to learn and different paths they are taking in life. Finding your own pace may take time, but it is worth it. One thing I am grateful for at SkuleTM is the strong sense of community and the team-first mindset. Let’s work together to achieve success.

OPINION

Gen Z: How They’re Impacting Our World NAJAH HASSAN Cannon Editor-in-Chief Since the beginning of time, elders have always looked at the generation after them with concern and doubt in their eyes. They continuously compare the differences between their own time and that of their children and think about how everything has gone wrong. We are guilty of it too. When we were Seniors in high school, we thought the incoming Freshmen students had it all wrong. We formed opinions of them, based on all the things they did differently

from us and immediately claimed that they would never be as good as us. As you get older, you realize that that particular notion is a common theme.

Baby Boomers thought Gen X was a cohort of rebellious slackers. Gen X thought Millennials were an unmotivated and privileged group. And now, the entire world is concerned about Gen Z. According to an article published by Bloomberg in August 2018, Millennials will be outnumbered by the new generation by 2019.

Millennials are defined as the generation born between

1980 - 2000 as quoted by Time magazine. The age ranges do vary based on the source.

However, Gen Z is defined as the generation born between 1995 - 2015. By that definition, a number of us fall under this category. So, maybe it is time to learn a little about some of the traits of the iGeneration and whether they are a cause for concern?

Generation Z grew up in a post 9/11 world. During this time, we were witness to global conflict and the economic and financial state of the world were greatly disturbed. In addition to this, we grew up in a time

when technology was rapidly advancing and the world was more connected than ever before. Dial-up connection and fax machines? What are those? Flat screen TVs, smartphones and wi-fi – these are the things that most kids from this generation saw when they were growing up. We grew up in a fast-paced, social media filled world and could instantly get connected. Being often pelted with the phrase “Back in my day, we used to spend our days playing outside”, our usual response is “Outside? What’s that?”. As most generations are characterized with

infamous generalizations, the iGeneration is no exception.

The most popular ones are that we have attention spans of eight seconds, are anti-social, and do not care about anything.

On the contrary, I would consider our generation to be far from anti-social.

We have access to all our friends, including those who live in different timezones, through our devices. Being so connected to the world has made us more accepting, diverse and socially aware of the things happening around Gen Z continued from page 13

cannon.skule.ca

MARCH 2019 Gen Z continued from page 12 us. Having multiple platforms to connect to different groups of people, our definition of ‘social’ has definitely changed, but we have still found ways to keep in touch with those that are important to us, even if they are on the other side of the world.

And our short attention spans? The vast abundance of information has taught us to be skeptical and selective about what we give our attention to. The answer to most questions is just a few clicks away when you know where to look. This has taught us to become more resourceful and creative thinkers. The word ‘impossible’ does not exist in our dictionaries. If you look

at it from our perspective, we know what we want and we are not willing to waste time looking at something we know will not help us.

Technology has become our most powerful weapon and social media has become more than a means of selfvalidation. We use it to stand up for what we believe in and fight causes that are bigger than ourselves. This is exactly what a group of students in Dhaka, Bangladesh, managed to do last summer. For those of you who may not be familiar with the details, two students were killed by a speeding bus in Dhaka which led students all over the city to come together protesting to demand better road safety. When the demonstrations were responded to with violence by

the authorities, the students took to the internet. They spread the word about their cause, reached out to major publications and shared their stories. Eventually, everyone was aware of the situation and as it came into the light, the government finally made a promise to enforce stricter road regulations.

Growing up in a world of turmoil has showed this generation that there is a lot of work to be done. We want to genuinely make a difference and make the world a better place because we see the potential that it has. We are optimistic and hopeful, and yes, also terrified, but we know what we have to do. Having seen a lot of different perspectives and interacted with people from

different cultures, similar to our Millennial counterparts, has caused this generation to become more open-minded and respectful problem solvers.

Of course, the iGeneration also does have its challenges.

In a world where everything is a screen and you are continuously surrounded by people who are accomplishing so much everyday and sharing it online, it becomes a struggle to appreciate your own selfworth. The impact this has on our mental health can be lethal, to say the least. We get trapped in this competition that we are not sure who started and that obviously has no winner. Constantly having access to information makes us indecisive and as we get sucked into this competition, we begin to question our abilities. With

• 13

all the challenges the world is facing, and with the knowledge of how big and complex these problems are, we wonder how much of a difference we can actually make.

At the end of the day, the rapidly advancing technology has changed the way we function. Gen Z, being the first generation to grow up in the information age, is learning to navigate these waters, and is doing it at a speed that has left the rest of the world in awe.

However, like those before us, each day we continue to learn and grow, and aim to be our best selves. The elder generations might laugh at the fact that some of us learned to tap screens and unlock phones before we could even walk, but I think that might be our biggest strength.

OPINION

Escape the Social Media Echo Chamber MARGUERITE TUER-SIPOS people like us. This everCannon Senior Editor expanding network of social dialogue has turned social One of the first things we media platforms into spaces do when we want to find for both the sharing and out more about someone subsequent discussion of is Google them. From here major news events. According we are swiftly taken to to the Pew Research Center their Facebook, Instagram, for Journalism and Media, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages. 68% of American adults have After spending maybe an used social media as a news hour or so sifting through source. In and of itself this their posts, photographs, and statistic is not too shocking, shares on these sites we will except we should consider it feel fairly confident we know in the context of social media’s who they are – or at least other purpose; a platform for who they project themselves personal branding. to be. All of us are familiar Within the same scroll with the idea of curating our on your phone, you are apt social media pages to be an to see someone’s perfect appropriate representation of beach vacation and a statistic ourselves. This is part of the about how, without everyone self-branding aspect of social becoming a vegan, the world media; generally speaking, will end in x-amount of years. the better we brand ourselves We should be skeptical about the more followers we can receiving this information amass. Social media platforms at the same time, in the however, don’t function solely same place. We know we as a glossy index of people we should question how perfect know and people we want to the beach vacation really know, they’re also our vessel was, but we should also be for social interactions. A questioning who posted major part of what draws us about veganism, and why. to social media platforms is Every post, or fact, shared by this “social” aspect, where we someone on social media is can connect with our friends framed by the persona they and form connections with are projecting through their

profile. The more followers someone has, the higher their need to protect their brand.

It is common to see a social media influencer thanking their followers. This makes sense since these influencers are paid for posts based on the amount of followers they have. Social media is not just about connecting with people and sharing ideas.

It is a monetary exchange between content creators and the people who want to consume it. Only recently has Instagram implemented a policy where paid posts have to include “#ad”. This is an attempt to create transparency between these content consumers and content creators but the world of social media is still very convoluted. The agreement between these consumers and creators is straightforward; I follow you because I like your content and in turn you continue to post within this same brand. Followers expect content of a certain type from the accounts they follow, and to go “off-brand” would likely lead to a loss in followers, and possibly a loss in income. With this, there

is no question that each post is seeped in bias. It is part of the economy that fuels social media. The question we have to ask is, is this also the place we should be consuming news?

Not only are posts on social media inherently biased because of the “self-branding” structure in which they exist, but we are also more likely to see posts we already tend to agree with. This adds yet another layer of complexity and bias to the news that 68% of Americans participate in. As engineering students, critical thinkers, and future leaders, we should be seeking out better platforms to engage in real dialogue on the Internet. Instead of platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, where a wellcurated meme is likely to get more traction then a wellargued point, we should turn to spaces like Kialo. Kialo is a website where contentious subjects, often rooted in wider global discussions, are put up to the public to be debated, for example “Should Governments Ever Limit Free Speech”. What I think is most important about

Kialo, and what separates its platform of discussion from the algorithms and networks in social media, is that you are forced to see both sides.

The question is posed and directly following is a list of pros and cons, posted and voted on by members of the Kialo community. Unlike on social media where your existing opinions are largely reinforced through the echo chamber built by their algorithms, platforms structured like Kialo make it impossible to see just one side of the story.

While it is unreasonable to ask people to deactivate their social media, I think it is reasonable to ask a few pertinent questions while scrolling. Who is making this post? What have they posted in the past? Are they affiliated with any major brands or organizations? And most importantly, does that person actually believe what they are posting, or are they posting it in order to remain “on-brand”. Social media is not a representation of our authentic selves, so how can it act as a platform for authentic discussion?

14 • THE CANNON

MARCH 2019

OPINION

YouTube Rewind and Youtube’s Current State RUKNOON DINDER Cannon Senior Editor Youtube Rewind 2018 is probably the most famous video on Youtube, for all the wrong reasons. The video, with over 15 million dislikes, and a ratio of six dislikes for every like, is easily the most unpopular video on Youtube, surpassing Justin Bieber’s 2010 hit single ‘Baby’ (10 million dislikes).

Even though the popularity of Youtube Rewind videos has steadily decreased since 2013, the fact that a Youtube video with the title “Everyone Controls Rewind” would be so scathingly rebuked by Youtube’s own community is a devastating blow to how the media giant views itself and its audience. Coupled with the growing discontent from Youtubers over recent policy implementations, a serious question poses itself: Does Youtube really know what its viewers want or do they choose to ignore their wishes in return for more favourable corporate deals?

Decisions over the number and type of content creators YouTube sought to include in Rewind 2018 show it to be more concerned about what they want advertisers to think about the Youtube community than the Youtube community itself.

“Youtube Rewind 2018 can be praised for the unprecedented diversity it showed. As evidenced by the rapid growth of the Bollywood juggernaut T-Series on the site and the massive popularity of nonEnglish content producers like HolaSoyGerman, YouTube isn’t simply an American or English-speaking media platform,” says Forbes,“and Rewind 2018 reflected this.”

I completely agree. For the first time, I saw many new things included in Rewind 2018 such as animators like Domics, TheOdd1sOut, and Lucas the Spider, and

even cooking channels which I loved. When it came to showcasing a diverse community, YouTube did an excellent job.

Ironically, that was also YouTube’s biggest downfall.

In an effort to please all of its community (or the corporate sphere), they failed to please almost everyone. Youtube was heavily criticized for the

presence of celebrities who are not your traditional Youtubers. Very few of the people who are featured in the Rewind have a strong presence within the Youtube community. There were many celebrities who did not start in the Youtube community, such as actor Will Smith, late night show hosts John Oliver and Trevor Noah,

late February of that year. In exchange, the Rewind failed to highlight creators that defined the year like Shane Dawson, who’s documentary videos on the lives of YouTubers changed how people viewed the platform. If there is anyone who can make a strong argument in favour of including any of them over Pewdiepie, KSI, Logan Paul

“

Does Youtube really know what its viewers want or do they choose to ignore their wishes in return for more favourable corporate deals?

creators the video excluded.

If someone had asked me which were the most famous incidents on Youtube in 2018, I would say the Pewdiepie vs T-Series subscriber war, the antics of the Paul Brothers, and the rise of TikTok. Yet, I see no Pewdiepie, or any of his close friends. I see neither of the Paul Brothers.

I see no Shane Dawson and remarkably few Youtube memes/phenomenons.

If you are trying to make Youtube look like this great, controversy-free land of equality, then Rewind 2018 is an outstanding move. If you are really trying to portray Youtube the way it is, Rewind 2018 is a remarkable failure.

Despite their controversies, every one of these creators are the best entertainers Youtube has. They are the reason I, and many more like me, watched Youtube at least an hour everyday last year. Yet they were unfairly removed from Rewind. Is there a reason I should like Rewind?

Far more worrying was the culling of Youtube content creators. In the 100 strong cast (150 less than last year’s Rewind), there was a distinct

and Twitch streamer Ninja.

Even some of the content creators in the Rewind that started in YouTube are no longer as attached to its community. Featured creators like Lily Singh, Casey Neistat, and Lisa Koshy, have all attempted to move towards more mainstream acting projects. Despite her continued popularity and talent, it’s difficult to make the case for why a creator like Koshy should be featured in a video reviewing 2018 when her last content video was in

or Shane Dawson, I would really like to hear them out.

By having a small cast of creators that were not all well attuned to the YouTube community in 2018, the year’s Rewind couldn’t speak to trends and events that had shaped the year for that site.

While Walmart Yodeling Kid thankfully made it into the video, similar internet phenomenon like T-Series and Johnny Johnny Yes Papa were not even mentioned.

These more relevant YouTube allusions were replaced

with overdone Fortnight references. And here lies the reason Rewind 2018 could not garner support even from the audience it catered to. On one hand, Youtube puts in political messages and mental health awareness slogans while at the same time targeting an audience range of 8-16 years old with its Fortnite videos and animations. Find me one 13 year old who really cares about these political movements, especially on Youtube. It is laughable. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that Rewind 2018 was not made for us. Fortnite was really for the sponsors, the political messages were for the sponsors, that whole cute fireside chat clip was definitely for the sponsors.

Youtube has, in the past, managed to balance its role as an online community and a business, especially with Rewinds 2015 and 2017. Yet, it failed to do so last year. Will it continue to go down this path or will Youtube change for the better is anyone’s guess. One thing is for certain: If the people start feeling like Youtube does not care about them, they will leave. And once they do, they will never return. There will always be a new thing to take Youtube’s place. And Youtube would do well to remember that.

CREDIT: H3H3 PRODUCTIONS

cannon.skule.ca

MARCH 2019

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Dealing with Depression: Keep Trudging Along Stress is like baggage. It is weighing you down, slowing your every step forward until you are too exhausted to go on. So why not take the load off ?

If you are not comfortable opening the more personal pages of your book to someone you know, do not force yourself into a face-to-face conversation until you feel ready. As an alternative, I talked to friends that I had made

on online forums or video games. This allowed me to bypass my reluctance to speak in person, and still feel the warm, comforting empathy of another person’s presence, discussing my pains.

Walking against these heavy, emotional winds is frighteningly exhausting.

But the effort is not in vain. There is fruit to harvest on the fallow facets of tranquility, past

the emotional turbulence.

I have had to suffer through bouts of utter hopelessness that at times, deprived me of motivation for even the feeblest of tasks. However, it also gave me a new perspective on my priorities: that the world is larger than a set of marks on a transcript or an iron ring on a finger.

So, hang in there; keep trudging along the tracks.

“

Stress is like baggage. It is weighing you down, slowing your every step forward until you are too exhausted to go on. So why not take the load off?

D S EADLINE

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LABS WORK

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Writing this column, I find myself slouched in the back of a long train on my commute home, trudging along the tracks as the exhaustion of another day weighs down on me; sinking me further into my seat.

The train suddenly stops; the eerie silence broken by an announcement: “As a result of weather conditions, we continue to experience longer than usual travel times”. It does not bother me, I think.

More time to sulk in my seat.

My emotions are swirling like the snow in the blizzard out the window; my mood: as dark as the night I look out on.

This isn’t anything new.

Ever since September, it has become the backing vocals, the soundtrack to my everyday life. The most minuscule of happenings will trigger this period of hopelessness and getting out is no easy feat. Like the Hotel California, you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. For weeks, bereft of a good night’s sleep and emotionally drained to a point of resembling a storefront mannequin, I have considered dropping out of engineering; transferring to an easier program.

Nevertheless, I am still here today, trudging along the tracks.

If our university years are a long, meandering roller coaster, then I am now at the bottom. And I know I am not alone in the cart. The stress of school intertwined with personal life and other commitments has driven an increasing number of students to the depressive side effects of being under constant, subconscious

pressure. Scads of students undergo situational depression, where they experience short-term side effects within certain circumstances or contexts.

Situational depression is easier to deal with, and rarely requires the usage of drugs or other substances.

However, some students develop clinical depression, which results from a chemical imbalance in the body.

Missing meals or skimping on sleep can heighten the chances of developing clinical depression. This condition requires a more complex treatment due to the necessity of rebalancing bodily chemicals. Unfortunately, far too many succumb to their depression every year. One salient factor that demands discussion is that students are largely ill-prepared for the tumultuous tides of tension crashing down on them as labs, midterms, problem sets, and assignments all pile-up.

These emotions are eclectic, complex and hard to deal with. There’s no way around that. But there are some things that you can do to feel better. In my experience, I have found that music is one of the best ways to cope with and overcome these periods of darkness.

Specifically, songs with lyrics or melodies that mirror what I’m feeling.

Where I feel the artist reach out through my dreary speakers and comfort me; empathize with me and siphon away the toxic hopelessness; the feeling that nothing will be ok again.

Another strategy to cope with and counter emotional overload is to simply open up to someone; talk about what you are experiencing.

JO

ANDREW ZHAO Cannon Contributor

CREDIT: NADYA ABDULLAH

16 • THE CANNON

MARCH 2019

Catalyzing Change at the WISE Conference It is 8 AM on the 26th of January; a cold Saturday morning in downtown Toronto. As I walk upstairs from the beautiful front lobby of The Westin Harbour Castle, I find that several of my colleagues are already setting up in the conference area, and have been doing so since 7 AM. Indeed, this dedicated team has been hard at work for the past several months to make this event a success.

The group is Women in Science and Engineering UofT (WISE), currently preparing for its 7th Annual National Conference to begin. Since 1999, WISE has been developing various programs of outreach, professional development, and mentorship in order to support students at various points of their journey with advice and guidance.

Its annual two-day conference brings together hundreds of delegates, speakers, and sponsors for a weekend of recognition and collaboration amongst peers.

This year, the conference’s theme was Catalysts for Change, promoting the motto “be the change you wish to see in the world”. The healthcare and engineering case competitions were challenging, the workshops and panel sessions highlighted cutting-edge research and technology, and the continuous stream of networking sessions allowed vital connections to be built between students and industry professionals, all making the idea of a successful and fulfilling career seem both tangible and achievable.

As a volunteer at this year’s conference, it was easy to see the value of such an event. There was an undeniable energy in the venue as attendees worked

together to instantiate their shared goal of helping women share equal success in STEM fields. This was perhaps best exemplified by the joy felt across the auditorium at Sunday’s closing ceremonies, which saw the first prize for the engineering case competition being awarded to a group of first-year Engineering students: Taylor Faiczak, Catherine Guo, Smile Peng, and Donna Gao. Many of the conference’s speakers highlighted why proper representation is important. For Dr. Shawna Pandya, a keynote speaker (and a physician-surgeon and citizen-scientist astronaut candidate), women in STEM serve as a reminder that the exploring and fulfilling of potential lead to an individual realising just how much they are capable of. Another keynote speaker, Aheri Stanford-Asiyo (a software engineer at Microsoft) believes that it is important to have role models that you can identify with and relate to in the field(s) that you are hoping to pursue. Finally, for Aashni Shah (another software engineer passionate about philanthropy), women can bring their own flavour of interpersonal skills to the workplace, and help build supportive communities that encourage and mentor the next generation of female scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs as well.

My commute back home on the evening of Sunday the 27th takes me up University Avenue, past the hospitals of Mt Sinai and Princess Margaret, across from the MaRS Discovery District building, and along the beautiful university campus.

For perhaps the umpteenth time since beginning my undergraduate degree, I remind myself how lucky I am to be a student here.

SCENES FROM THE WISE NATIONAL CONFERENCE CREDIT: FANG SU

one night, at U of T...

Alien Evasion By Nadya Abdullah

NAIN HAIDER Cannon Contributor

We can finally begin our conquest of Earth, starting with this very educational institution!

We’ve made it at LAST! This is the moment of truth!

We shall obliterate the human race and begin our very own civilization!

Wait-- did you hear that?

I can’t believe you guys don’t get a reading week. What a shame.

Get back to the ship!

This is no place to live!