“Vapours” might be harmless, but that isn’t a free pass.
Electronic cigarettes have been in the news a lot lately. It all seems unbelievably biased and almost short-sighted in nature: the reports of them being a gateway to smoking (or even harder drugs), or that they’re marketed to children, have created a campaign of fear-mongering by some media outlets.
Let’s start with some science: an e-cig is essentially a battery that sends power to a coil, which heats up and atomizes a liquid. What is inhaled is made up of propylene glycol (commonly found in medical inhalers and food), vegetable glycerine (used in food and shisha), food flavouring and – of course – nicotine. Minus the food flavouring, these are medically proven to be safe for inhalation. Pretty simple, right?
The liquid itself varies in strength, going from no nicotine at all to strong doses like 24 milligrams per millilitre. It’s important to note that a single cigarette holds roughly 18 milligrams of nicotine. Obviously, the math becomes a little more complicated down the line, but there’s nothing grossly unsafe about the practice.
Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
As it stands, the new hobby supposedly helps many kick the habit, by progressively stepping down the intake of nicotine. Better yet, it helps users purge the added “bonuses” of standard cigarettes like tar, all while being much cheaper. So what exactly is the problem here?
All things considered, there’s a big market for smoking in the West – and not just from those picking up the habit, but also from those quitting it. Pharmaceutical companies are making millions on quit smoking aids and the government is raking in its fair share of taxes, too. Just like dieting “supplements,” the best way to secure returning business on quit smoking tools is to ensure that they have a reasonable chance to fail. But when something new comes in (with standard sales taxes applied, rather than the ludicrous increased taxes on cigarettes to “encourage people to quit”), it becomes clear that this is a business being disrupted. After all, who can out-monopolize the people in charge of regulating against monopolies?
Conspiracies aside, there’s still a lot of discussion to be had regarding those who are making the switch, and it all boils down to etiquette. A lot of shops and places will flat out say that you can use e-cigs any and everywhere, because it’s not really smoking. This holds a degree of truth: the “vapour” produced is relatively harmless according to several studies done on the subject. The smell generally reflects whatever flavour the user has, but more importantly it dissipates fairly quickly. This is all well and good, but there’s still the issue of respect to keep in consideration.
I’ve been using e-cigs for a year and haven’t really used them indoors unless permitted by the establishment either openly, or after some enquiries. Not so cool, though, are the fellow students I’ve seen using them indoors on campus and the random folks puffing away on the metro and in the bus. Don’t get me wrong, I get it: it’s fairly stealthy and can be pretty unnoticeable. But to be honest, doing this is going to harm the case for e-cigs far more than help them in the long run. If the market needs to do any convincing to keep from being locked and shut down, then it needs to start being mindful of non-smokers, too.
At the end of the day, it’s not healthy. There’s no point in saying it is. But e-cigs are sold as a tool for harm-reduction. Being able to get a nicotine fix anywhere isn’t in the books, nor should it be. I don’t miss the days of smoky bars and night clubs, and I’m fairly sure that most people would be inclined to agree. If you’re an e-cigarette smoker, head outside during your breaks like everyone else, or check with the establishment to see whether or not they’re okay with it first. It’s common sense, just like kicking the habit altogether.
Indie bundles keep your geek on, and your wallet full.
Gaming, comic books and even digital copies of novels can get pretty hefty as a hobby. Let’s be honest, the average high-end game release usually runs for $60, comic books can be $10 an issue and books, well, that’s all over the place really. Either way, keeping up with those hobbies can be pretty taxing on your wallet, especially if you’re always looking for something new.
If the previous paragraph got your attention, you’re in luck! There’s a handful of ways to keep your geek on, on the cheap, with the help of some great websites. For starters, the most prominent of the bunch is HumbleBundle. The site features weekly sales in the shop, with deals on games for PC and Mac going all the way down to 75 per cent, and bundles for games, books and comics going up every week or two for a “pay what you want” price. Better yet, you can divvy up whatever you’ve decided to pay between charity, developers and the site itself.
If you’re into indie games, then sites like Indiegala, Bundlestars and BlinkBundle might be right up your alley. Often throwing in five to 10 games together for under $10. Another great resource is isthereanydeal.com, a site that can keep track of specific titles and whatever sales they might be involved in. Either way, you’ve got plenty of opportunities to get some games on the cheap to sandwich between some study sessions.
Fancy yourself as more of a book person? Well, check out the StoryBundle site, which usually rotate a handful of books per bundle on specific categories like mystery, horror, cyberpunk, and what have you.
There are literally hundreds of amazing sites like these that can keep your hobbies on the cheap. Having grabbed hundreds of issues of comics from Valiant and Dynamite publishing off of humble bundle, and over a hundred steam games from other bundle sites. I’ve accumulated well over a lifetime’s worth of stuff. Bundles are great, and there’s so many around that it’s impossible to cover them all in just one short article, but if you keep your finger on the trigger, and use a bit of Google magic, you can keep geekin’ on without resorting to eating ramen for the rest of the month.
Don’t leave your social media open for the world to see
Mental health issues have always been a bit troubling when it comes to insurance coverage. Let’s be honest, those who pay out the benefits for students (and other adults) are not being selfless, they’re running a business. This means that no matter what it comes down to, they are more interested numbers rather than the well-being of the person they’re “insuring.”
When Nathalie Blanchard posted pictures of herself on a beach on Facebook — in a seemingly happy time in her life — Manulife (her insurer) pulled her help benefits and left her out to dry under the clause that she was now over her depression. Did the insurer have any right to use public information to their own ends and was it the right call?
On one hand, the insurer had no accurate way of tracking Blanchard’s ongoing depression. On the other hand, depression is an issue that isn’t like an on-and-off switch. It follows you everywhere. The happy times you spend in between the bouts of anxiety, stress, and crippling sadness are few and far apart.
Studies have shown (and many therapists agree) that the most effective way to treat depression is to socialize and do activities that bring you happiness. Yet, when Blanchard posted pictures of herself at the Chippendales bar show, Manulife assumed that she was now available to work based on their judgement alone. To Manulife, these pictures acted as proof that she was over her depression — the absurdity of the situation here being that Manulife made a judgement call based on social media.
This raises a whole lot of questions about whether or not insurance companies, employers, and businesses have any right to figuratively stalk an individual on the internet. The primary idea behind this is that our posts on these networks can be made public or private. If you make a post public, can it and — more importantly — should it be used to testify against you?
Social media represents a public forum by which its users can vent out their personal frustrations and broadcast their lives. But does a public post constitute evidence of behaviour that can lead to termination of either insurance benefits or even employment?
The simple answer would be an unfortunate “yes.” Truth be told, public posts that can be viewed by everyone are the equivalent of shouting your daily happenings from a rooftop.
To trump this problem, social media sites offer a way to circumvent this with the option to privatize your posts, leaving your updates available only to select members within your circle of added friends or even a select few people within said circle.
Insurers, employers, and law enforcement agencies have the right to see and use your public posts. Private posts constitute a much more complicated debate though. While law enforcement agencies may have the right to access your conversations and photos on a “necessary” basis, insurers and businesses are limited only to your public posts under federal law.
In the age of social media and free information, the best thing users can do is keep their private lives outside of the public eye. In the case of Blanchard, insurers made a poor judgement call, but their perusing of her Facebook account was entirely within their rights.
That being said, it’s probably best to stay outside of the limelight and restrict what the public can see on your social media pages. Err on the side of caution and keep your private lives as they should be: private.
Facebook’s privacy settings can be altered to share your posts only with friends by visiting https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=privacy and changing the “who can see your future posts?” line to “friends only”.
Little robot Jibo isn’t just a pretty face; it walks, talks, and thinks
Ambient objects have been slowly infiltrating our homes. Simple innovations like The Clapper, an electric switch that responds to sound, may have started the revolution of leaving our households in the capable robotic hands of artificial intelligence. Technology has evolved since The Clapper, though. The first household robot, bunny-shaped Nabaztag, came around in 2006, and could give you the weather and time, aggregate your RSS feeds and even retrieve your email. The little rabbit never did gain a ton of popularity, however, and came upon hard times when the central servers ran into crippling slowdowns in December of its launch year.
Now that we control speakers, lights and door locks with tiny computers and smartphones, the world of ambient objects seems to be going silent… Or is it?
Meet Jibo, a robot that’s set to do a bit of everything. Unlike other artificial intelligence of its kind, it is compatible with apps that can improve its functionality. All things said, Jibo’s a little creepy. With the ability to take pictures, track faces and the option of remote control from a smartphone or tablet, Jibo’s list of features aren’t just useful, they’re downright terrifying.
We all remember the media scare that came with remote-hacking into laptop webcams. Walk around campus and look at how many students have a post-it note over their webcams, or have otherwise blotted them out. Being able to take photos without pressing a button or a timer is great, but how much privacy and safety are we willing to sacrifice for convenience? The truth is that, despite the scare tactics, few people become the intentional targets of hackers. The worry here comes more from the software used to improve Jibo’s functionality, and the nefarious purposes regular people could put it towards.
Face-tracking and movement-tracking aren’t new in automated devices. Microsoft’s Kinect is another example of the impressive technology little Jibo showcases, and its only downside is the lackluster selection of games it supports. Jibo could easily become a household name, then, even with a hefty price of $599 US.
But fear-mongering aside, the potential of these ambient objects is limitless. Imagine having Jibo act as a security camera for your apartment, reporting to your smartphone any unauthorized entry and catching it on video. Sure, there are already ways to set this up with basic webcams, but ease of use would increase the adoption rate of these security measures. Like all things tech-related, keep your credentials safe and your password lengthy and complex, and you’ll avoid trouble.
We’ve come a long way with tech in the past quarter-century. That being said, I’d love for Jibo’s voice to sound like HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Creepy? Sure! But think of the geek-potential!
Out with the old, in with the new: Windows 9 is already on the way
It’s only been two years since the last major version of Windows was released to the shelves. Only one year since its major update with version 8.1. But the rumor mill’s been churning, and a handful of tech sites have already reported Windows 9 as being in the works, with a hopeful release date in 2015. But is it too early for another major change in the way we run our PCs?
Let’s be honest, Windows 8 had a very rocky launch. Users complained about the touch-friendly interface being poorly implemented into traditional laptop and desktop users. To add to it, Microsoft’s decision to remove the beloved start menu had very few supporters. In truth, the decision to merge its touch-friendly interface with the “metro” styled start screen (which is already well implemented into the Xbox360 and Xbox One platform) emphasized on users switching over to Microsoft’s “Surface” PCs. Unfortunately the sales on Surface hardware didn’t go so hot, leaving Windows 8 in an odd limbo state between what tablet users want, and what traditional PC users have been asking for. The Windows’ 8.1 update provided some welcome changes in stability and strength, as well as compliance with a lot of older software.
The announcement of Windows 9 – rumored to be released in mid-2015 – comes as a bit of a shock to a handful of people. Given Microsoft’s presence on campus and the strong push to advertise the strengths behind Windows 8, it almost feels like the release date is premature. There isn’t much we know about Windows 9, but a bigger focus on the start menu has been leaked to several online tech sites.
The move to release this early after Windows 8 suggests one of two things; Either Microsoft’s bad press on Windows 8 is forcing them to push out a large content upgrade under a new name in hopes of refreshing its brand, or the company is planning on a tighter release schedule for its future operating systems. The latter option is, quite honestly, a little disturbing to say the least. Given the heavy price of buying a new operating system, students may be left behind on support for popular applications they use for courses.
Regardless of their reasoning, users who are planning on buying an upgrade kit can still expect a much smaller deal — comparable prices can be expected. With the student edition of Windows 8.1 currently going for about $70, the only question to answer is whether or not users using Windows 7 will have the opportunity to upgrade directly to 9, or if they’ll need to purchase a brand new licence.
Mainstream support for Windows 8.1 will continue on until January 2018, so if you aren’t in a hurry to upgrade, you don’t have to worry about being left too far behind in the long run.
Okatuthon kicks it in high gear for 2014 and delivers an unmatched anime convention in Montreal
It’s always a delight to see local conventions grow in size. Considering I hadn’t attended Otakuthon for a handful of years, I was shocked to see not only the immensity of the crowd that flooded the convention hall at the Palais des Congrès, but also that the convention had managed to have the legendary Nobuo Uematsu – the composer for the majority of the music featured in Final Fantasy games – amongst its list of guests. Tailored specifically towards Japanese animation and comics (anime and manga, respectively), Otakuthon also brings out artists of all genres to share their love of the culture. Over the years though, the gathering has moved away from the (somewhat) niche genre it traces its roots from and has included events for all things geek.
The first highlight of my time at the convention was, of course, the enormous amount of people in cosplay – essentially a full costume representing a character from an anime or manga – and the attention to detail that went into some of their attire. Makeup, props, masks, swords, you name it. With an expected 14,000 attendees this year, you could literally spend an entire day taking pictures of impressively designed accessories, pieces of clothing and masks.
Even though cosplay was one the mainstays of the convention hall and its attendees, the World Cosplay Summit garnered only the cream of the crop, and the very best that cosplay has to offer. Rightfully so, as well; the winners of the competition will be flown off to Japan to participate in the finals, and represent Canada. Lucky enough, The Concordian managed to score front-row seats to the event and snagged plenty of great pictures.
Another momentous event at the convention was the Final Fantasy music concert. A New World: Intimate Music from Final Fantasy was performed live, in traditional chamber music fashion. In their first Canadian performance, the group was joined by Nobuo Uematsu himself, who played on stage for a full 90 minutes. Fans of the series’ emotionally charged music were in for a treat, bringing them on a journey that spanned all 25 years of Final Fantasy’s legacy. Suffice to say that the performance had something in store for everyone.
Even with these incredible events, Otakuthon offered plenty to do regardless of their stance on cosplay or video games. Board game rooms were set up and offered a place for fellow geeks to enjoy some time socializing. A cosplay café was available, serving both Japanese and local food to cater to the various tastes of those in attendance. Panels hosted by well-known voice actor Spike Spencer – who’s voiced hundreds of anime and video-game characters – were scattered on the schedule. Spencer often brought a mature level of comedy to the table, with panels like “What Happens at the Con stays at the Con” and “Don’t Kill Your Date”. One can get an almost foreboding sense of the discussions covered during these panels.
Truth be told, I would have needed several clones of myself to even skim the surface of all the panels, viewings, events and intrigues of the convention. Given its humble roots and the recollection I have of a small, few-thousand strong convention that traces its roots back to Concordia, Otakuthon has grown up to become a gargantuan beast of an event. The convention has grown every year since its first edition, and continues to attract attendees from all over the world. With this being said, it’s hard not to be stoked about the things we can expect for the convention’s 2015 edition.
Otakuthon ran from Aug. 22 to 24. You can get all the information about this year’s and all future editions on the conventions website at www.otakuthon.com. Don’t forget that Concordia also has an anime club! Check out its page at http://otaku.concordia.ca/
President of Concordia University Dr. Alan Shepard with two members of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet.
Paving the way for a more welcoming province for future graduates: Concordia President Alan Shepard addresses Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada
On May 22nd, Dr. Alan Shepard – Concordia’s president and vice-chancellor – addressed the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada on the topic of international students and their leaving of the province after graduation.
The meeting hall of the Omni Hotel, where the presentation took place, was packed with academics, entrepreneurs and sponsors who have long supported Concordia. Over 25 tables were filled with guests, and once everyone was seated and served some wine and salad, Shepard took the stage to begin addressing the audience.
Shepard’s presentation, called “Newcomers to Montreal and the role universities play”, presented members of the board of commerce with sobering facts about international students’ post-graduate behaviours.
According to Shepard’s statistics, Canada stands as the seventh most popular destination for students who seek to study abroad, with Montreal being the choice destination for post-secondary education. Over a 250,000 students attend higher education in the city, of which more than 10% are international students. Despite these encouraging numbers, Montreal has the lowest hiring rates of university graduates in Canada. “We’re effectively educating people for other cities,” Shepard said during the presentation. Shepard seeks to rectify this issue using four key points.
“My first idea is that we should do more in concrete ways to make newcomers feel special and welcome,” he said. “Our biggest draw is our reputation, and our biggest welcome mat is our web presence.”
But while Montreal shows a great initiative, the city’s web page is lacking in resources linking potential immigrants to Quebec’s immigration portal. Once there, the directions to reach Montreal’s page require several clicks, and many pages are only available in French. To provide a solution, Shepard pointed to what he refers to as “a more welcoming model”, referencing the web presence for New York City. The site is offered in 35 languages, engages users on social media platforms, and their immigration offices serve visitors in more than seven languages.
His second idea is to create a financial reason for international students coming into the city to stay, suggesting a tuition tax rebate applied over roughly ten years of residency.
“Even if international students pay much higher tuition rates than Quebecers, it is still low compared to what they would pay in other regions. But imagine how much more attractive Quebec would be if we could bring rates down to our unbeatable in-province tuition,” he said. This move is mirrored in other provinces across Canada: Manitoba, New Brunkswick and Saskatchewan all offer these options for international students who choose residency after graduation.
Shepard’s third idea is a project he calls “Discover Quebec”, which is aimed at out-of-province students who seek to learn French in order to make their livelihoods in the province. Despite Concordia’s “Oui Can Help” program being an excellent option for learning French, Shepard believes that “as a society, we could go further.” His project would provide newcomers with lessons about history, culture, and integrate students into learning French via co-op placements in Francophone workplaces. This, according to Shepard, would provide these students with “tangible benefits: residency status, a job offer – a place in Quebec society.”
But beyond the scope of language and culture, his fourth idea is to widen the responsibility for welcoming these immigrants into the province. La Vitrine, which Shepard uses as an example, is launching a project that will offer new international students a rebate towards theatre, fine art and other cultural activities. “Remember that culture is often the glue that keeps people here,” he said.
Addressing the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada directly, he suggested business owners and entrepreneurs to open up promotional offers, sponsoring an event that is popular with new Montrealers, and helping these visitors feel welcome to the province. Among all this, he also urged our focus into green spaces and good urban planning to make the city a place people want to live in.
With young professionals graduating from higher education spearheading the future of Montreal, Shepard’s ideas apply to every student and resident of the province, regardless of where they’re from.
President of Concordia University Dr. Alan Shepard with two members of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet.
Disney takes on Marvel again, and turns Captain America into a contemporary tale
Superhero movies have been trending on the silver screen for almost a decade now. Spider Man, X-Men, Iron Man and Thor have each gotten their own reimaginings with a fair level of success at the box office. In the line of heroes covered was also Captain America: The First Avenger. Though the 2011 movie received its share of negative reviews, it paved the way for The Avengers a year later, and proved to be a well received adaptation.
The latest in Marvel’s line of movies is a take on Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting’s Winter Soldier story arc from Captain America. Photo courtesy of Marvel.
Along comes the second movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, bridging together the events following the first film, and putting the hero into contemporary times. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is propelled into the age of Twitter, the Internet and the strangeness that the last 50 years have wrought. Despite this though, Rogers seems in his element and the turn of the new millenium comes off as being almost inconsequential to him.
After an assassination is attempted on Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson), he turns to Rogers and warns him that SHIELD (an organization dedicated to securing the world’s population) has been infiltrated and that no one should be trusted. So begins the retelling of Ed Brubaker’s classic story arc of The Winter Soldier. Captain America must take down SHIELD, that is now hellbent on killing him and using the organization’s superior technology to control the population of the world. Along the way, Rogers meets Nick Fury’s assassin — known only as the Winter Soldier — and uncovers the global conspiracy behind SHIELD’s security breach.
Running at a whopping 136 minutes, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a thrilling ride that, unlike the 2011 movie, captures the essence of Captain America. The action scenes are thrilling, fast and packed with impressive fight choreography and a great mix of hand-to-hand combat and shooting. The special effects are top notch, and the movie’s $170 million budget feels well spent. The city is impressive to look at, and SHIELD’s stellar CGI airships and planes feel dutifully rendered, and seamlessly blend in.
Where the movie falls short is the midway point, breaking up the action for some necessary plot exposition. While it fills its need, the dialogue between Captain America and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is awkward and often skirt on being completely tacky.
But the groan-inducing moments are short-lived, and usually provide the ‘suddenly’ effect that’s popular in comic books. It feels like every scene is going to turn into some sort of action, and while this isn’t always the case, the movie stays on track and never leaves the audience bored for more than a few minutes at a time.
It’s understandable if you are expecting disappointment — superhero movies generally don’t hold up too well for comic book readers. Some of the creative liberties taken for the sake of cinematography often leave a sour taste in the mouth, and usually, makes us return to the original material rather than the watered down Hollywoodized versions.Each scene is supported by masterfully rendered music composed by Henry Jackman (responsible for X-Men among a list of several contributions to the film industry). The soundtrack never feels out of place, and always scores scenes in a relevant, powerful fashion that helps shape the emotion that each scene is meant to evoke.
But The Winter Soldier is different. Walking out of the theatre with after what was a satisfying experience made this reviewer consider what Marvel remakes are coming out next. Whether you’re a fan of the old red, white and blue or just looking to get your fill of superhero action flicks, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is well worth the price of entry and definitely fills the void left behind in the first instalment.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens in theatres nationwide on April 4.
Winter’s biggest party hides colorful gems underground
Written by Jocelyn Beaudet and Nathalie Laflamme
While the streets of downtown Montreal are flooded with people – dancing, drinking, socializing and otherwise having a good time, a quieter expression forms, under the concrete where thousands party. Nuit Blanche happens once a year; the metros are open all night, and festivities are thrown all around the city. This is also host to one of the largest art exhibits, spanning the entire ‘underground city’, and beyond. This year, like every other year, I’d opted out of partying all night in favor of tasting the artistic diversity of our local artists. My journey began at metro Places-des-Arts, where the first exhibit that would catch my eye was.
Amidst the sea of people, this brightly lit contraption was colorful, and odd enough to make me double-take. There was something that felt so out of place, and yet belonged exactly where it was. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
No further than a few meters away, there was the sound of endlessly echoing human voices, equally unnerving and yet, strangely reminiscent of whale ‘songs’. The sound came from this dome, made entirely out of speakers. Several microphones hung from the inside, where those who climbed in could speak, sing or hum. Usually, this proximity would cause horrible audio feedback, but for some reason, all that escaped was the strange sounds that caught my attention in the first place. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
As I walked further into places-des-arts, I was greeted by what can only be described as a life-sized version of Lite-Brite. The crowd was having fun organizing the pieces around before moving further into the larger part of the ARTV Studio exhibit. I decided to make a small detour into the exhibit and explore it a bit further. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
There was something oddly enchanting about the whole thing, but I didn’t stay put for very long, and moved on deeper inside. Where someone was painting. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
Now this isn’t something I’ve seen very often in my past attendances of Nuit Blanche. Two artists were painting separate pieces. This was the first I saw in action. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
On my way to the second painter though, I was stopped by this ‘statue’. Although hardly made of earthen materials, it reminded me oddly of a clay statue, and some vague recollections of Indiana Jones. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
And here stood the second painter. Equally as impressive as the one before him. I stood by to watch him paint a little further, and moved out of the ARTV Studio exhibit, and made my way towards Complexe Desjardins after making this small detour. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
There’s always some sort of interesting looped film playing in the hallway of place-des-arts, this in itself isn’t particularly new. But this particular looped animation, reminiscent of older cartoons, made me smile and brought back some fonder memories. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
I took a short break once I was inside Complexe Desjardins, for a bit of coffee and because a crowd was gathering around the fountain at the center. By the fountain though, was this ominous monolith. Admittedly, I wasn’t impressed with it at first and opted out of taking a picture of it. But over the few minutes I stood by it, the looming presence of the exhibit grew on me. I barely had the time to snag a picture before the lights dimmed, and the fountain began ‘misting’. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
Accompanied by some beautiful music in the background, the scene felt almost like a fairy tale, straight out of a live-action Disney movie. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
Predictably, the fountain’s spout shot the water all the way to the shopping mall’s high ceiling. Although nothing out of the ordinary for those familiar with the fountain, the colored lights and music made for a more meaningful experience, almost building the whole thing like a crescendo.
As the presentation ended, I began to make my way out of the mall, and further away from Places-des-Arts. Also predictably, this is where things started becoming a little less interesting. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
A bit past Complexe Guy-Favreau’s underground was a piece of wireframe which, when illuminated and projected to the wall behind, created an interesting perception trick. The exhibit itself though, felt ill-placed and easy to pass by, should its presentation not be underway. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
On the way to the Palais des Congres, in the brightly lit tunnels, was this. The odd combination of geometry and art felt like it spoke out me, almost begged for my attention. With that being said, I’m still unsure as to what exactly it represented. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
As we climbed out of the underground, giant replicas of cigarettes piled together like a campfire stood in my way. I’m sure there was a message to convey here, but I’ve missed the point completely. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
Through another hallway, the projection of walking silhouettes on crumpled paper was on display. With the sounds of a busy crowd playing in the background, the shadows on the paper continued along their merry way, even when the hallway was deserted. For some reason, it felt oddly creepy, like seeing and hearing ghosts in the city’s often silent tunnels. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
In the Palais des Congres now, there danced a strange yarn-clad figure. Not seen in the picture is the headphones protruding from its side. After some time spent fearing ghosts in the city’s underground, I didn’t quite feel comfortable around this exhibit and promptly walked away. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
My trip towards the Eaton Centre from here remained fairly uneventful. Exhibits were plenty, but at this point, I felt disenchanted. When we arrived at the city’s busiest mall, the yearly ‘crowd-sourced’ art exhibit was well underway. As the crowd was encouraged to participate and draw its own art on different-shaped canvases. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
And here, my journey came to an end. After spending three hours mulling over several dozen presentations and exhibits, I was about ready to call it a night.
There were several other exhibits that I’ve seen, but not presented, and these represent my favorites – both good and bad – among the ones that I’d seen this year.
As usual though, the furthest I was from places-des-arts, the less impressed I was with the exhibits themselves. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet
At the end of the day though, the whole thing was a fun experience, and many of the exhibits are still available for art lovers to browse until March 14th. That being said, the exhibits may end up being just as busy as this one in the end. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet.
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Meanwhile, on campus…
Concordia took part in Nuit blanche with their event, Crystaline. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
At the VAV Gallery in the VA building, three artists were given twp square feet of an “interactive film strip” to create pieces that respond to winter in Montreal. This piece was created by Keir MacDonald, and is called Flip-Strip No. 1. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
“Montréal la belle”, by Audrey Dandenault. This piece is made of silk. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
Many projections took place inside and outside the gallery. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
In the MFA gallery, participants were able to try their hand at animations, learning from students as well as professionals, like Concordia professor Erik Goulet. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
Participants got to try animating with puppets, different colors of sand, and cutout papers. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
Participants also got to learn to animate with 35 mm film and sharpies from professor Goulet. The animation projects were later projected, and participants got to keep their ribbons. Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
Written by: Andy Fidel, Jocelyn Beaudet, Milos Kovacevic and Saturn De Los Angeles
“Tally-ho gents!” the Englishman’s voice boomed in the auditorium.
Graphic Jenny Kwan
Our hero of the hour, the one and only Space-Chap, puffed on his electronic pipe as the murmurs of the audience died out.
The delightful gentleman twirled his moustache, adjusted his brown tweed jacket and cleared his throat. Amazingly enough, Victorian fashion had not gone out of style in the year 3000 like many predicted in the great hipster revolution of 2020. But this event was not about style, nor the proclamation of enjoyment before popularity. Rather, this was good ole fashioned storytime with some chums.
Today’s tale is of the greatest adventure that Space-Chap had ever undergone: meeting the evil space-god, whose name none dare speak.
“Now if you would please insert the spinal whirlygig into your interface sockets, we can begin this great tale once-anew, yes?” Space-Chap told the crowd.
The neural transmitters and nano-machines of the memory-imaging machine (trademarked to none other than Space-Chap himself) would give the audience an extrasensory experience, in order that they might relive every moment of the chap’s delightful adventure.
Of course, the audience began hooking up the device to the tiny hole drilled into the back of their necks.
“If there are no questions then?” Chap asked, walking towards the enormous contraption on the side of the stage.
“I have one!” a tiny, impish man from the back of the crowd exclaimed. Our hero met his gaze quizzically, but said nothing.
“What is the name of this beast whose name you refuse to reveal?”
“Well, I dare not say, sir. The very pronunciation would curl your hairs before they fall out of your head, your eyes would melt. Each syllable of its evil name would doom another generation of your kin, and I warn you good sir, it’s name is endless, like the darkest recesses of the universe folded upon themselves into a single being,” Chap said, his eyes staring off into space.
“So you don’t know its name then?” the impish man asked.
“I didn’t feel the need to ask. We weren’t exactly out at a dinner party, exchanging pleasantries over tea, crumpets.”
All the chums collectively leaned back in their chairs. The spinal whirlygigs began to heat up as images of a boy holding a rocket launcher appeared in their minds’ eye. This was rapidly intercut with moments of static.
“Don’t you move,” said a boy’s voice. “Or I’ll shoot.”
Meanwhile, space-chap continued to tap his way across the stage. Making frequent clicking noises with his tongue. A smile creased the old man’s face like a rotten apple when his cane hit the contraption. He opened the safety latch — Click — and held a finger over the red button.
“I mean it,” said the boy. “I will shoot.”
The helmet was far too big for the boy. He had to tilt his head back to see from underneath. And the leather straps were too tight. Pinched his chin whenever he took aim. The boy shut his left eye, listening to the war outside his home. The splatter of machine guns and the rumble of tanks that made pebbles dance and the ground tremble under his feet. Right eye fixed on his opponent: the large chalk drawing on the kitchen wall. A tall, lanky beast with a large appetite for trees.
“Ka-Poosh! Ka-Poosh! Ka-Poosh!”
He puffed his cheeks out and blew air through his fish-lips at every dull click. A light chuckle caught his attention. The boy’s mother shook her head as she passed him and headed straight for the faucet on the wall. She plunged her hands under the water, scrubbed and said “Who you shooting at, Chap?”
Red water and a pair of teeth slipped into the sewer grate.
“The evil space-god.”
The evil space-god was oozing out from its little cocoon it had nurtured from the tonnes of industrial waste it had been eating. They were accumulated from an extinct artificial garbage island in the middle of the ocean that used to exist centuries ago. Those machine guns and heavy artillery were leftover armour from a bygone Fourth Millenium war that was dumped on to that smelly isle.
Carrying a venomous, phosphorous-coloured and dangerously hot acidic substance from its dozen of voluptuous disgustingly morphed tentacles that complemented its scary physique, the vicious monster went on a marathon spewing a gallon’s worth of this substance on its desired target — the young, rebellious, handsome lad.
“Mom, don’t look, let’s run!” the boy hollered, drenched from all of the cleaning sludge that was left undone.
“What the hell are you trying to do? Don’t be a reckless jerk! We need to dig ourselves out of here,” argued the mother, who was exerting her last inkling of energy left.
In a desperate and unnecessary move, the boy latched away from his mom’s hand and pulled out a really strange looking ancient plastic toy instrument from his bag.
It was a magenta-coloured keyboard guitar, keytar for short. Adorned with enamel-coloured hearts decorated all over, it was one of those odd fusion instruments from the modern Renaissance of the 1980’s. He played a disgusting teeth-seething melody that he learned when he was in elementary, reminiscent of autotune-infested music sung by the fallen western pop divas of the early 2030’s.
Irritating as one would expect it to sound, the chords coming from the keytar was emitting this supersonic power. Something that was 80 and a half millihertz strong. Something that the space-god, who had a penchant for really distasteful music, had a fond weakness for.
All those generations listening to his mom’s ancient and uncool vinyl records were beginning to pay off.
“Take that, you stinking piece of crap!” he exclaimed in an odd moment of euphoria equivalent to a musical orgasm, except he was having a ball killing that beast.
The space-god began to melt away, something that no one was expecting to happen.
The impish man frowned inwardly, initiating cascades of ripples on the projection screens that were his eyelids. Something was odd. He attempted to banish the sights, to no avail. The images refused to vacate his neural pathways, refused to give way to the locals.
“No, this isn’t right at all,” he said, recoiling.
He had partaken of reminiscences enough to know this choppiness, this disjointed static, narration was a roll of forged, flat consciousness. Had he experienced a single odor, a single texture through the young protagonist’s hands? If this was story-time, its teller was a mute.
To add to his umbrage was the image of the keytar, that shameful vocation of his in the theatre days before he had reinvented himself as a gentleman. The spinal whirligig, not content with being a fraudulent contraption, was actively co-opting of his own memories, pushing him Persian rugs woven with tawdry threads. Could the others see what he saw, or did they all hear a distinct song tailored exclusively for them by the false minstrel whispering inside their head?
“Trumpery! Trumpery I say!” he yelled, reaching backwards to clear his neural port. But his arms did not obey, tied as they were. Violently he shook his head until the thing fell out and the show’s curtains rose to no applause.
And what a site to find oneself in! The rumbling, interpreted as tanks, was actually the humming of an enormous contraption on the stage, next to Space-Chap.
Too late, he felt something dislodge and slip by the pocket fabric, leaving a lightness about his heart. And then, like sperm racing to the egg, the chain-tailed ovals embedded themselves one after another in the gigantic magnet, from each and every one of the crowd, all but him still sedated and constrained by the armchair cuffs.
“Fraud!” he bellowed, regretting his naiveté. The brave, illustrious Space-Chap? No! Rather, a travelling charlatan with an eye for the pinnacle of Victorian masculinity: pocket watches.
“Why, Space-Chap? Why have you done this to us?”
“My good man,” said the caned shape, smoking his pipe. “They say time is money, and I expect a good return for putting on a show. But if you must truly know, I will tell you!”
And he began:
“It’s simple, gents. There always was an evil, nameless space-god. He feasts not on the souls of the young, the minds of the bright, or the complicated four dimensions of Euclidian geometry. Rather, it feeds on time, quite literally !” Space-Chap chuckled at his own cleverness.
The tiny impish man, who once defiantly demanded to know the space-god’s name, was still unsatisfied with this conclusion.
“That’s absurd!” he croaked with the vocal range of a nail scraping a chalkboard. “If all an elder god would require to thrive is the eating of clocks, why would he employ such an uncivilized ruse?! You are lying to us good sir!”
The fraudulent Space-Chap considered this statement, squinting with growing ire at the man that had seen through his ruse from the start. Silence permeated the room like a thick fog, as the stunned (and restrained) audience awaited a rebuttal from the chap in front. Gripped by the notion that they would finally understand the reason for the insanity of his story, the perplexed and odd behaviour, the utterly gauche notion of feeding clocks to a monster.
And then, Space-Chap uttered the words that explained it all, as his eyes bulged out of his skull, revealing slinky-like springs.
“I totally did it for the lulz!” he laughed maniacally, before exploding into a pile of gears, bolts and steam.
What is the purpose of an ant colony? Existentially speaking, this is a question that no ant would have the power to ask, and no human the knowledge to solve.
Ant Colony by Michael DeForge is a graphic novel set in the world of an established ant colony, which follows various characters in their interactions. From the existential questioning of colony life by a gay ant couple, to the sociopathic interaction of a father and his son, this graphic novel covers some inarguably dark topics that is typical of DeForge’s works.
Ant Colony, from the author of the Adventure Time comic book series, is available for sale at Drawn & Quarterly Library.
Although the art style may seem lighthearted and cartoony, they are as organic as the world these ants live in. Each panel is meticulously crafted and uses vivid colours, from bright yellows to pastel blues. The ants themselves are each independently unique; no two are drawn the same, although similar anatomy exists. While the designs for environments and ants may seem uncomplicated at first, from simple shapes and colours making up each aspect of the panels, the level of detail expressed by the characters themselves is powerful. Better yet, the easy feel behind each stroke gives a feeling that each panel was drawn independently. No two frames are alike.
When it comes to symbolism, images of bizarre, surreal sex between these insects are at the center of the unfolding drama, as the ant colony goes from booming to desolate.
At its core, Ant Colony establishes a strange totalitarian rule by a Queen. Seen as the only fertile female of the colony, its inhabitants are required to ‘donate’ monthly, by following the window roads leading inside the Queen’s midsection, and having the all-male colony leave these ‘donations’ inside of her.
The story unfolds as a rival ant colony is brought into the mix and war ensues.
Although these circumstances move the plot ahead, what constitutes the meat of the novel is the characters. While each story arch is self-contained, they bottleneck near the end of the book as the colony falls apart, and each of these individuals are brought together to try and find a new colony to belong to, or start one of their own. Although the book gives no conclusion to this story, the building hopelessness of the last few chapters provide a glimpse into the possible future of these characters.
Ant Colony is a fairly short read, but, as its publisher Drawn & Quarterly says, is easily DeForge’s magnum opus. It’s humorous, dark, and even a little meta at times. It builds an oppressive universe and lets readers wallow in the crippling atmosphere and feel the strange social despair that these ants live through.
The book is bold, and makes no attempt at trying to be tactful. It sets out with an idea and executes it in a way that is genuine, uncensored and powerful and blends the interesting with the depressing — giving us what is most likely going to be one of the best graphic novels of 2014.
Ant Colony, from the author of the Adventure Time comic book series, is available for sale at Drawn & Quarterly Library.
Three Night Stand stars Sam Huntington as Carl, Meaghan Rath as Sue and Emmanuelle Chriqui as Robin, the ex-girlfriend. Press photo
It’s a perfect romantic weekend — you’ve rented a ski lodge and are taking your wife on a trip to the Laurentians to enjoy a sexy weekend away from it all. But nothing ever goes as planned, does it? This is exactly how things start off in Three Night Stand.
Three Night Stand stars Sam Huntington as Carl, Meaghan Rath as Sue and Emmanuelle Chriqui as Robin, the ex-girlfriend. Press photo
The main character, Carl (Sam Huntington), is a lovable dork that plans on taking his wife, Sue, (Meaghan Rath), on the perfect weekend getaway. After finally saving up to purchase the wedding rings he couldn’t previously afford, he plans on presenting them to her to tie together his perfect weekend. But things fall apart when they arrive at the lodge, which was just purchased by Carl’s ex-girlfriend, Robin.
Hollywood movies have a way of portraying these romantic flicks in a strange light, often putting emphasis on how one person is clearly the better choice as a partner for the main character than the other. Three Night Stand chooses a different path, instead presenting us with characters that are as flawed as the rest of us.
Short tempers and snippy, insensitive responses during an argument are among some of these relatable shortcomings. For example Carl is awkward, not very good at lying (and he certainly tries to conceal some pretty important information from Sue), insecure and can come off as a jerk (all of which are brought forth by a spot on performance by Huntington). Sue, though, is demanding, generally unsatisfied with every aspect of the relationship, and seems to easily lose interest in her husband in favour of every other character she meets during their trip.
These inadequacies are strangely human, and yet under-represented in more mainstream films. We’re often presented with sex scenes that are oddly perfect, but when it comes down to real life situations, even the act of undressing can be a little awkward. The movie holds a mirror to that statement, and presents us with a reflection of our strange behaviour when we feel passionate about someone.
The film’s pacing is interesting; romantic dramas tend to have a very pick-up-and-go feel to them, giving you some brief moments of respite to digest all the new information that comes as the drama unfolds. In this particular case, the scenes flow intensely into one another, as if the movie was intended to be much longer but had to be edited down to its meaningful moments.
This isn’t a bad thing per se, and makes sense given the odd situation of spending three days at a lodge where everything that can go wrong inevitably does. The emotions are heavy-handed, and the pace at which everything unfolds makes the entire movie feel half as long as it really is, but also twice as charged emotionally.
Concordia graduates Pat Kiely (writer/director) and Robert Vroom (producer) may have us geared towards a bad ending for the characters involved, but ultimately, both Carl and Sue learn from the experience. As they sit in a cafe, some time after everything is said and done, you get the feeling that both characters have grown-up tremendously, and have adjusted their lives to avoid reliving what happened during that would-be perfect weekend.
At its core, Three Night Stand is more than just a romantic drama set in Quebec. It’s more than a standard love triangle, and involves so many characters that you’ll love, hate and love to hate, mingling with one another in a way that feels familiar, like it could have happened to anyone. Therein lies the appeal of the movie, and exactly what puts it a cut above the rest.
Three Night Stand opens at Cinema du Parc on Feb. 7.
