Winter 1985 Issue 3 – March, 1985
Jeff Endenburg submitted a piece summarizing the University of Waterloo’s support for proposed amendments to the Criminal Code of Canada dealing with computer crimes. UW had encouraged the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee to extend copyright protection to computer programs, and to strengthen existing legislation regarding fraud and mischief with the use of computers.
“Computer ‘hacking’, a term generally used to describe the use of computers to obtain access to the files of credit agencies, companies, etc., that are stored on computers, has recently gained substantial attention. There have been incidents reported in the US in which teenagers have obtained access to credit card numbers and just recently, a 17 year old Vancouver youth was charged with netting about $5000 worth … using stolen credit card numbers.” And this before the Internet!
While the risk of computer misuse was considered low at UW specifically, concern was voiced over copyright issues regarding computer software. “While the US and many European countries have gone ahead and modified their laws, Canada has ‘no legislated protection of intellectual property rights of software’.” It was estimated that in 1984 Canada had lost about 400 million dollars to software piracy, and it was believed that protection for software would help the development of the software industry. Today we know that piracy is one of the biggest threats to the software industry and that companies have had to develop alternative business models to keep ahead of the consumers. Additionally, while it’s frustrating that you can’t stream many of your favourite shows, compared to the US, Canada is actually a software and media pirating haven. Legislation and enforcement has still not caught up with standards in other countries, and many people in our generation would say that’s a good thing.
Winter 1990 Issue 3 – Mar. 2 1990
Some things never change: David Rashkovan and Gregg Loane outlined the POETS renovations a la 1990. Some of the new features included a new popcorn machine (to replace the old one), the purchase of a 6’ by 8’ digital projector screen from Video Works in Waterloo, new dart boards and new furniture. Two new bars graced the halls of POETS in January: a main L-shaped bar on the right as you enter POETS and a long stand up bar along the back windows, both made from solid oak and costing in total around $3000. The new furniture of pub style tables and bar stools increased the seating capacity by about 60%. The authors had this to say about theft and vandalism:
“New dart boards were purchased, then stolen; purchased again, and wrecked. It is a pity that there are people who cannot use certain facilities properly without destroying them. Nobody benefits from these acts. It only causes hassles, and forces the society to install an alarm system (which should be in within the next week or so).”
Since then POETS has seen more renovations, including moving the bar to the back and adding a service window to the patio. New furniture, framed frosh week t-shirts, a hard hat collection and artificial greenery in the balcony upstairs are all recent additions. Hopefully one day soon the netting will be up and the pool table upstairs can be used for more than a study group area.
Also in this issue: an ad for Hewlett-Packard’s new HP-28S Advanced Scientific Calculator, for a mere $269.00.
Winter 2001 Issue 3 – Feb. 16, 2001
In this issue, Sung Hon Wu and Ryan Bayne argue in the point-counter point whether the Canadian government was responsible for the “brain drain” at the time; the large numbers of Canadian university graduates moving south to the US for work opportunities. Sung Hon claimed that Bush’s $1.6 trillion in tax cuts will “encourage more people to head for the tax haven to the south”. Additionally, with the Canadian dollar being 2/3 of the US, it meant that a Canadian doing the same work as an American essentially got paid one third less. One of the next reasons he claims, is opportunity. “If you want to work for the most famous software company in the world, then you work for Microsoft. If you want to work on the latest hardware, then you work for Cisco, Intel and Nvidia. The US did not become a world leader in technology by chance; it is the result of years of funding theoretical research and then following up to find applications…” He goes on to explain the many examples where the Canadian government did not fund research projects that were later purchased by companies south of the border, who then recruited Canadians as employees.
Ryan argued instead that the Canadian companies, and not the government, are weaker with recruitment than their American counterparts. “It seems that the info sessions with lots of food and drink tend to be held by foreign or multinational companies compared to domestic employers… I obtained the job [for a Canadian company] through a phone interview. In comparison, the other co-op students had the employer visit their school during a job fair and then fly them to the offices for a weekend of interviews…” American companies also offered extra support and perks for relocation to the US, including in some cases, free housing for four months, a shared vehicle or sporting events and company outings.
Excuse me? Companies willing to fly you to Miami for a weekend just for a co-op position? Seems highly unrealistic in today’s world of budget cuts and overpaid CEOs. True, the taxes here are killer, but there are many more factors to consider when moving your career internationally.
Winter 2005 Issue 3 – Mar. 2, 2005
Neil Rittenhouse, 2A Mechatronics at the time, wrote that “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that [Iron] Swing”, referring to the accomplishments of Ally Chan (2A Chem) in starting up what is now the successful engineering jazz band, With Respect to Time.
“Over the past few months, she has been busy trying to make her vision come to life. Musicians for each part had to be found and music selected. Practice space was also a concern, with a location initially proving difficult to find. Thanks to the efforts of Mark Spanjers, the band was able to make use of the SLC multipurpose room every Sunday from 4:30 to 6:00pm…”
“Gabriel Chan volunteered to be the conductor and the jazz ensemble was complete. He does a great job of leading the band, … yelling at the saxophone section for being out of tune, at the trumpet section for being too loud and at the trombone section for not being loud enough. What more can a band ask for?”
When asked what compelled her to form a band, Ally responded, “Can you remember the last time you did something because you loved it? … To me, that thing is music, and even though I told myself engineering wasn’t going to prevent me from playing music, it did. I regret that I went over a year without really playing. Too many people let go of the things they love too easily…”
With Respect to Time usually has charity concerts each term, as well as occasional appearances at events like semi-formal, TalEng and EngPlay so be sure to show your support for this incredibly dedicated and talented group at their next concert!
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