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Contra iPad (Comparative Editorial)

By Andrew on April 26th, 2010

Originally written for the issue published February 4, 2010.

For too long, Apple has been using aesthetic appeal to mask the fact its products tend to be lacking in hardware and customisability. The recently unveiled iPad proudly continues in that tradition, using the steamrolled iPod Touch look to compensate for it being underpowered, locked down, and incomplete.

The iPad is poised to tackle the Netbook, a device bridging the smart phone and home computer markets. The majority of Netbooks (over 90%) are Windows based, with the remainder using an open source platform (such as Linux). These days, the standard Netbook operating system is the complete Windows 7 OS which is something the iPad can’t compare to. Keep in mind this isn’t a petty comparison between Mac and PC user preference. The iPad will be running a tweaked iPhone OS. Why an alleged Netbook killer is running a phone’s OS and not a home computer’s OS is quite curious.

In terms of hardware, the iPad is far from impressive. The HP Mini Netbooks, for example, are readily available with a 1.66 GHz processor and a 160GB hard drive standard, while the iPad uses a 1GHz processor and has a 64GB flash hard drive at most. The iPad is also a fully fixed product, meaning that individual components cannot be upgraded. Netbook users are able to upgrade their RAM (if only by a little), and even beef up their hard drive with the proper know-how.

Connectivity is also a troubling issue. There’s no USB, HDMI, or FireWire; the only physical connection to the iPad is through the 30-pin connector (same as the iPod). Avoiding USB is admittedly advantageous as it means Apple avoids driver issues, but it’s a stark inconvenience for the user. For the company, however, being fully committed to the 30-pin connector is profitable, as extraneous docking devices and adaptors will become necessary for optimizing the transfer of media.

And really, this is where my biggest quarrel with the iPad lies: it’s just too expensive. $350 will get you a perfectly capable Netbook, so the $500USD iPad introductory price is far from competitive. And when consider the litany of limitations (No Flash media, no 16:9 aspect ratio, no camera, no multitasking, to name a few) and the cost of peripherals, accessories, applications, and media, you begin to invest a lot of money in something you really can live without. Then again, I guess that’s just the cost of the Apple lifestyle choice.

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Contra Hand Sanitizers (Comparative Editorial)

By Andrew on April 26th, 2010

Originally written for the issue published January 21, 2010.

Aside from doctors, nurses, and surgeons, the everyday fellow simply has no use for alcohol based hand sanitization. The full effects of such sterilizing rubs only last for mere moments before open air exposure contaminates the hands once again. While the quick fix may well recreate the end result of soap and water washing in a fraction of the time, it’s still an endeavour that’s nowhere near as robust as a good lather.

Firstly, people need to acknowledge that hand sanitizing is a different kettle of fish from hand washing. Hand sanitizers function on an antimicrobial level, primarily used to eradicate the vast majority of germs and effectively sterilize the hand. Hand washing, however, while not committing germ genocide to such an efficient degree, nevertheless cleanses the hand of soil, stain, and debris.

Using Purell won’t get rid of the filth present on hands due to everything from finger food to dirty jobs. It will sanitize the mess, sure; but the grime will still be there until you’re bothered to break out a bar of soap. Hand sanitizers are meant to eliminate the lingering germs on hands that are free of visible detritus, not take care of both in a single fifteen second rubbing.

Then there’s the fact that hand sanitizers are received differently based on skin type. The high alcohol content dries the skin, which makes it unappealing during colder weather and virtually intolerable for eczema sufferers. If the user is compelled to reach for moisturizer immediately after sterilization, does that not defeat the purpose?

People with weaker skin who use too much alcohol based hand sanitizers at once or too often also run the risk of being more susceptible to germs and viruses. Certain rubs with high alcohol contents are occasionally found to chemically deteriorate the layers of natural oil responsible for keeping bacteria at bay, in turn increasing vulnerability.

And thus is the flaw of alcohol based hand sanitizing revealed: its goal is not so much to cleanse the skin as it is to destroy the nasties present on it, even if it means undermining the integrity of the dermis’ natural defences. Hand sanitizers are a convenient and efficient solution for germaphobes who dread using handrails and doorknobs. But when you get right down to it, a quick fix is really all it is. A dab of antimicrobial magic is perfectly fine as a sterile layer of polish on the palms, but there’s simply no replacing the power of the lather and rinse routine.

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Low Fidelity (Performance Review)

By Andrew on April 26th, 2010

Originally written for the issue published  January 21, 2010.

While mix tapes and vinyls might have gone largely out of style, music elitism and snobbery certainly have not. If nothing else, director Mark Selby’s High Fidelity, the musical stage adaptation of the 1995 Nick Hornby novel, certainly reminds us of that.

Rob (David Light) owns the last “real” record store in town, and has recently broken up with his girlfriend, Laura (Jamie Arfin). In Rob’s quest to win back Laura, he compiles and mulls over lists of songs and break-ups, has a one night stand with songstress Marie LaSalle (Jennifer Walls), and ably demonstrates how not to run a record store.

High Fidelity has many problems, the biggest of which lies in its characterisations. No doubt the core of the performance is built on the tried and true “couple breaks up/couple reunites” method, but while High Fidelity has no shortage of reasons for why Rob and Laura would separate, no good reason for why they would get back together is ever presented. Rob only ever appears more desirable in comparison to those in his immediate company and not in comparison to the average person. We want Laura to get back together with Rob not because he’s a truly special once in a life time catch, but because he’s undoubtedly a step up from her rebound, Ian (Jason Zinger).

However I could easily look beyond the sloppy narrative if the writing and music were more entertaining. Sadly, this isn’t the case. Characters are defined solely by their ability to rattle off bands and songs and not by their actions or aspirations, the belief being that it’s not “who you are” but “what you like” that defines a person. The leads think and speak in top fives and condescend to those who do not, which admittedly presents an easy developmental arc that (likely deliberately) isn’t capitalized upon. The only character that begins a metamorphosis is Rob’s meek lackey, Dick (Carl Swanson), who’s immediately chastised for suggesting there’s more to a person beyond their favourite bands. Rob himself doesn’t change at all by the end, and Laura could be understood to have changed for the worse.

The music is certainly a step up from the writing, but still fairly poor in its own regard. On the execution level, the band does well with the slower pieces and ballads, but begins to fall apart during the up tempo sections. On the composition level, it’s generally serviceable, but lacking any real highlight and not a single melody indelibly kept in mind.

So what’s good about High Fidelity, then? Despite all the nasty things I’ve said about the characters, the actors themselves remain appreciably enthusiastic and energetic throughout. The set design and staging are for the most part exceptional, and there are some entertaining moments in the second half (a lampoon of Neil Young in particular). It’s just a shame that you have to trudge through a swamp of inconsequential blathering to get to it. The material may work well as a novel or film, but on stage, it’s just far too saturated.

High Fidelity is showing at Hart House until January 30th.

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Bad (Quality) Vibes

By Andrew on April 26th, 2010

Originally written for the issue published January 14, 2010.

A few issues ago, a colleague of mine wrote a piece for The Science about music-induced hearing loss in relation to the surge of portable media players on the market. Tinnitus (ringing ears) and Hyperacusis (oversensitivity to everyday noise) affecting more and more people with a bad habit of cranking Lil’Wayne and Slipknot, displaying as much disregard for their health as for the considerations of those around them in the process.

While a fine article for the sake of compelling people to keep the volume levels down from the wellness perspective, it never really addressed the reason why people tend to listen to music so loudly in the first place: awful headphones.

Tens of millions of people use portable music players on a daily basis, a sizable portion of which use the cheap earbuds that come with them, mostly for the sake of convenience. If people were more willing to trade up and discover what a good headphone is, cases of music induced hearing loss and irritable commuters would be fewer and further between.

The iPod earbud is the quintessential example of the most widely used bad headphone. Sound quality notwithstanding, the reason why it is so terrible has to do with its complete inability to block out or “attenuate” extraneous sound. Because achieving a proper seal around the ear is virtually impossible, users are more compelled to raise the volume and in doing so raise the likelihood of ear affliction.

Commuters looking for a respite from screeching subway cars and noisy traffic should look into headphones that offer premium isolation. Circumaural (over the ear) headphones are enticing because fully encircle the ear, but keep in mind that the seal is actually quite loose and often times requires a considerable amount of battery power from the device powering it.

EM’s (In-Ear Monitors), on the other hand, are small and efficient headphones that deeply penetrate the ear canal and provide the tightest seal. Certain IEM’s even allow the user to swap differ types and sizes of sleeves to accommodate for the wide variety of ears out there.

Sennheiser offers headphones of nearly every variety, and are good choices for those making an entry into better sound. The Grado SR60 is also the long favoured budget gold standard. Shure, on the other hand, is best known for premium IEM’s and would be a great long term investment.

For more information, www.headphone.com offers catalogues and articles to make informed upgrades.

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Bench dedication marks 20 years since Montreal Massacre

By Andrew on April 26th, 2010

Originally written for the issue published December 3, 2009.

On Friday December 4th, 2009, U of T will be holding ceremonies across all three campuses to commemorate the 20thanniversary of the Montreal Massacre. The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women was established to mark the tragedy, when Marc Lepine slaughtered 14 women at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal on December 6th, 1989.

While U of T holds ceremonies every year to mark the incident, this year the university will dedicate two benches adorned with commemorative plaques at Hart House. One bench will display a plaque about remembrance, while the other will feature a plaque about the importance of action in making change.

“Hart House is proud to support the U of T Status of Women Office in leading the December 6th memorial and bench dedication ceremony in the Great Hall,” says Tara Bassett, Senior Communications Officer at Hart House. “This commemorative service is in line with Hart House’s dedication to educating and empowering the community to overcome issues related to diversity and social justice.”

The significance of the plaques lies in the importance of establishing a continuing context and dialogue about what can be done to make a difference.

“In the coming years, the Ecole Polytechnique Massacre inMontreal will be older than many undergraduate students at U of T,” says Connie Guberman, Officer from the Status of Women Office. “For this reason, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women is becoming less about merely remembering the incident and more about illustrating how issues of violence against women are still relevant, both locally and internationally. It’s about how each and every one of us, both individually and collectively, can work towards change.”

Unfortunately, this year’s events fall on a difficult day. Academic pressure due to the exams and final classes of the semester may lead many people who are passionate about the cause to overlook the ceremony. Being aware of this, the Status of Women Office has placed brief tips and suggestions for those interested in the events and raising awareness about violence against women on their website at www.status-women.utoronto.ca.

The ceremonies commence on Friday, December 4th at 12:15 p.m. in the Great Hall at Hart House, and at 12:00 p.m. in AA303 at UTSC and the Student Centre Presentation Room at UTM.