Losing the Lead: Uber’s inevitable triumph over BC’s taxi industry
Up here in Canada, Uber’s success has been less than absolute. While those living in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal are free to use the service, the government of British Columbia has blocked the ride-sharing service from operating anywhere in the province including one of the nation’s most populous cities — Vancouver. How has the most important gateway city on Canada’s Pacific coast avoided Uber so far?
Current affairs. Aug 2016.
The games UBC eSports plays — and how to play them
Professional gaming requires a lot of commitment, namely becoming a voluntary shut-in willing to punish your finger tissue and eye retinas. Still, if you think this makes a better career alternative than your fine arts degree, you probably want to know where to start, especially if you’ve never touched Tetris. Here are some notable games that UBC’s eSports Association plays competitively.
Sports/Humor. Dec 2016.
Professor Altintas makes machines that make machines better
An incredible amount of precision and accuracy is essential to building any machine. If this principle is ignored, it can cause a slew of problems. At the very least, it can cause your coffeemaker to overflow your mug — at worst, it can cause an airplane to fall apart. People like UBC mechanical engineering professor Dr. Yusuf Altintas, along with his team, are here to make sure the latter scenario is prevented
Science. Nov 2016.
Out in the Cold: How UBC's ski teams were cut off, and how they bounced back
When the dust settled after a review of UBC’s athletics department in the spring of 2014, 24 of UBC’s original 29 varsity teams retained their status in some capacity, while five teams were reclassified as competitive clubs. These included the men’s and women’s alpine and Nordic ski teams. Two teams that had a shared history would now be subjected to a shared fate.
Sports. Jan 2017. Co-written with Olamide Olaniyan.
Inside UBC's planned "nano-units"
Apart from a kitchen and bathroom crammed into the unit, students can also find a transformable bed that can be pushed up onto the wall, revealing a study desk hidden away underneath. Last but not least, a random lonely plastic chair tucked between the kitchen counter and the window. In other words, it’s your dank dorm room now upgraded into a Norwegian prison cell.
Blog/Humor. Feb 2016.
Conversation: Yoga Rave at the centre of discussion about cultural appropriation
Yoga is an inherently cultural and spiritual experience. The practice is steeped in South Asian Hinduism and Buddhism, which played a key role during its origins. So when UBC Recreation put on a “Yoga Rave” — an event which consists of a massive yoga class featuring DJs and glow-in-the-dark paint for students to use — some students raised concerns.
Sports/Culture. Mar 2017.
Piece of Mind opens mental health discussion through art
The importance of discussion was emphasized during the opening event. Apart from presenting the artistic works, there was a short presentation discussing this specific exhibition’s theme of "resilience" and how it functions within individuals. Additionally, there was a Q&A panel involving the artists themselves that covered the inspirations of their works as well as what mental health means to them.
Arts & Culture. Nov 2015.
Academy award nominee answers students’ questions as part of The Look of Silence
The film itself is a companion piece to Oppenheimer’s previous documentary, The Act of Killing, which covers the perspective of former executioners during the 1965 Indonesian Communist Purge as they personally boast and revisit the killings they had perpetrated decades ago. Both these films were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2014 and 2016 respectively.
Arts & Culture. Jan 2016.
BC kids aren't as tech-literate as you might think
When it comes to new technology, there’s a broad assumption that most youth are masters of computers and the internet. But according to Ron Darvin, a PhD student in UBC's faculty of education, that may be a costly assumption. Based on research he conducted across schools in BC, Darvin found that young students falling behind in digital literacy is still a very real risk.
Science. Jan 2017.
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Joshua Oppenheimer photo by Manfred Werner and banner image by Tegouette. Both taken via Wikimedia Commons.