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Concordia's first TEDx
You might already know about TED. He’s 25 years-old and likes sharing good ideas. His name is an acronym for technology, entertainment and design, and he’s become something of a global phenomenon.
If you haven’t heard about TED, chances are you’ll be hearing more about him on campus, as Concordia hosted its very own TEDx event on Saturday, attracting a crowd of over 400 people from the student body and beyond.
TEDx (x=independently organized), is a TED-like event which shares the same mandate as its larger, American parent to spread innovative and exciting ideas but on a smaller, local scale - and at a significantly lower admission price! The "x" program is new – under two years old – but immensely popular, and interestingly, a big hit in India.
Montreal too is developing an appetite for TED. Jan Florjanczyk, a McGill master’s student and organizer from McGill’s recent TEDx said, “When they started out on the McGill campus, they didn’t think it would burst outside the McGill bubble and it did immediately.” Proudly, he added that “Montreal has such a hunger for TEDx events, the community here is brilliant, fast-paced, and active.”
In terms of numbers, Concordia and McGill hold two of the biggest TEDx conferences in Canada, and they are entirely student-run. It took eight months of careful planning to make this first TEDx Concordia a reality. Aside from the logistics of recruiting volunteers, publicity, and catering, Alexander Lynn, a member of the organizing-team, said the biggest focus of all was selecting the right speakers for the occasion. “At the end of the day,” he said, “they are the vital component.”
Concordia’s version of TED offered inspiring and thought-provoking talks about everything from mash-ups to 3-D printing. Among the speakers were a few of Concordia’s own students (Gavin Kenneally, Yan Ohayon, and Paul Gillet) and professors (Gad Saad and Owen Chapman). The conference also included live musical performances from the hip-hop collective Nomadic Massive.
Whether the speakers were based in arts or sciences though, social media, social involvement, and sharing were common threads throughout the “connect the dots” themed event. Mitch Joel, a marketing expert whose talk started the conference off, set the mood by encouraging people to open up their “digital shades” and be more social – both online and off.
As vital as the speakers are to the TED experience, attendees were reminded that all the talks were being recorded for online consumption. The point of being there went beyond the lectures and couldn’t be captured in a Youtube video, status update, or Tweet. This was something Generation Y isn’t completely familiar with: analog social networking.
To help foster communication, organizers encouraged audience members to return to a different seat after each break, and the breaks themselves were advertised as “hotbeds for serendipity.” Organizer and host David Chouinard reassured participants that, “it’s not awkward to interrupt a conversation and start talking with someone.”
Yazen Alkhouri, an electrical engineering student I spoke to during the lunch break, told me what I had already been hearing from a lot of people: “here, you won’t find two people alike.”
To find out more about the speakers, go to tedxconcordia.com. Videos from the event will be uploaded in the coming weeks.
Photography by Eva Blue
February 21, 2011
News read by Corentine Rivoire and produced by Erica Fisher.
TEDx interviews by Alina Gotcherian.
Stories written by Alina Gotcherian, Chris Hanna and Erica Fisher.
Flames douse Habs in Heritage Classic
Sunday night's Heritage Classic saw the Calgary Flames beat the Montreal Canadiens four - nothing. The outdoor hockey game was a cold one, with temperatures reaching negative 10. This caused some problems with the ice. The ice crew flooded the arena with a hose, fearing the zamboni might cause it to crack. The players had heaters in their benches. The 41,000 fans however did not.
Despite the conditions, the Flames shone. Rene Bourque scored two goals and had another nine shots. This was the first outdoor NHL game in Canada since 2003.
Striking Crown prosecutors could be forced back to work Monday
Quebec’s striking Crown prosecutors may be legislated back to work today. A motion will be presented to the National Assembly that can force the 1,500 workers back into courthouses.
Head of the association of Crown attorneys in Quebec Christian Leblanc called this move illegal, immoral and irresponsible.
Crown attorneys have been on strike for two weeks. They are demanding a 40 per cent pay increase as well as the creation of 200 new positions.Crown prosecutors in Quebec and the lowest paid in Canada.
The lawyers are threatening a mass resignation if the motion is passed.
Escape The Fate @ Club Soda
Yeah... so when I asked to review Escape The Fate my only knowledge of them was the two music videos I had watched 15 minutes earlier (I had taken some time to look up the openers). They looked/sounded like I'd hate 'em, but I was pretty sure that I'd have nothing better to do on a Sunday night in February, so I thought I might as well go and get my hate on.
Two months pass...
I got to Club Soda at 9:26; I was aiming for 9:00, but a) I'm bad at time management and b) when I first got on the metro I realized that I had forgotten my mittens on the bus. I had to get off at the next stop, go back, get back on the bus, and find my mittens before continuing on to the show. I didn't end up finding them, though. Instead, there was a pair of gay-ass rainbow mittens where my mittens should have been. I took them, but I'm not sure I'm going to keep/wear them; they're a bit too colourful for me... Anyway... 9:26, I got to Club Soda and Escape The Fate is already on. They’re surprisingly early*, but I don't mind - I wasn't exactly hyped on the openers (who I had spent about 7 minutes 'researching' two months ago).
So yeah, Escape The Fate - remember when I said up there that I thought I'd hate them. It turns out, I didn't! Not at all! Unfortunately, I didn't like them at all either...
I pretty much just stood completely still, completely unmoved for 50 minutes. I didn't want to leave and I didn't want to move up closer. I didn't cringe, but I didn't nod my head either. Escape The Fate and I were just sort of there at the same time. That's it.
Yep...
What's the min word count on these things?
Nah, I kid...
Musically, the band was like their band name. "Escape The Fate" - what a meaningless, uninteresting, forgettable name. But say it out loud (really): "Escape The Fate" - it just rolls off the tongue so smoothly...
After walking out of the venue, I couldn't remember how any of the songs went. But they all went down like soft-serve aural vanilla ice cream, or maybe a flavour that's less flavourful than vanilla, if there is one.
Or, if you don't like getting ice cream in your ears, check out their logo. I guess it's okay... It's legible, it’s symmetrical, it has the band name, and it has things shooting out of the letters and stuff... But man, isn't it the most uninspired logo you've seen all week? Thought so.
If the band had any flavour, it was that they are channeling some kind of Mötley Crüe vibe. That is not a good thing, though. Mötley Crüe sucks. I think that's worth repeating - Mötley Crüe sucks. Luckily, Escape The Fate weren't channeling quite enough Mötley Crüe to suck as well. Again, they were just sort of there, playing instruments and stuff.
So, in conclusion, it's a good thing that I enjoy (what's a better word than leering?) at teenage girls, because otherwise I would have got nothing out of that show...
*It turns out a bunch of the bands didn't make the border, possibly explaining the earlyish-ness.
-Johnny Suck (host of Turn Down The Suck), Wednesday's 9:00-11:00pm, only on CJLO
February 18th 2011
News read and produced by Erica Bridgeman.
Stories written by Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo and Erica Fisher.
Analysts call for increase in online defenses after cyber attack on House of Commons
Security specialists are calling for the Canadian government to beef up online defense. This comes after a cyber attack on federal departments as well as the House of Commons.
A Treasury spokesman says no information was compromised. The attack did leave employees without Internet access.
The Communications Security Establishment is Canada’s secret cyber spy agency. It traced the attacks to the Chinese embassy in Ottawa and to computer servers in Beijing.
A security specialist says Canada is facing an ‘A-Team’ of government backed Chinese hackers. Canada spends less than 1% of what the US does on online security.
Cab driver denied personal and religious items
CASA Elections Results
CASA General Elections Results - 2011
CEMA President - Allysha Carr
DSSA President - Alexandra Rodford
FISA President - Kevin Chan
JMAS President - Andrée Robbins
JMIBA President - Anik Laframboise
JMHRA President - Nadine Panetta
JMMA President - Frederique Dufort-Plante
Independent Director 1 - Mahmoud Abdelrahman
Independent Director 2 - Kristian Valenta
Independent Director 3 - Philip Barrar
CASA President - Marianna Luciano
CASA VP External - Amanda Cabiakman
CASA VP Internal - Irene Pitsikoulis
CASA VP Academic - Danny Shakibaian
CASA VP Events - Laurent Laferrier
CASA VP Finance - Greg Synanidis
CASA VP Marketing - Anthony D'Urbano
ASFA Elections Results
ASFA General Election Results – 2011
President
1. Alex Gordon – 662 Votes (77.4%) - ELECTED
2. Abstain – 186 Votes (21.7%)
3. Spoiled – 7 Votes (0.8%)
Total Votes: 855 Votes
Vice-President of Finance
1. Laura Gomez – 374 Votes (43.8%) – ELECTED
2. Pier-Luc Therrien Peloquin – 232 Votes (27.1%)
3. Ben Prunty – 95 Votes (11.1%)
4. Abstain – 147 Votes (17.2%)
5. Spoiled – 6 Votes (0.7%)
Total Votes: 854 Votes
Vice-President of Internal Affairs
1. Schubert Laforest – 340 Votes (39.6%) – ELECTED*
2. Tanya-Michelle Contente – 329 Votes (38.3%)
3. Abstain – 182 Votes (21.2%)
4. Spoiled – 7 Votes (0.8%)
Total Votes: 857 Votes
* This Vote is subject to a recount due to its Close Finish
Vice-President of Social Affairs
1. Colman George Aucoin – 618 Votes (72.2%) - ELECTED
2. Abstain – 228 Votes (26.6%)
3. Spoiled – 9 Votes (1.2%)
Total Votes: 855 Votes
Vice-President of External & Sustainability
1. Asma Omar – 589 Votes (69%) – ELECTED
2. Abstain – 253 Votes (30%)
3. Spoiled – 12 Votes (1%)
Total Votes – 854 Votes
Vice-President of Academic & Loyola Affairs
1. Christina Gentile – 375 Votes (42.2%) – ELECTED*
2. Diana Sitoianu – 350 Votes (39.4%)
3. Abstain – 156 Votes (17.5%)
4. Spoiled – 7 Votes (0.7%)
Total Votes: 888 Votes
* This Vote is subject to a recount due to its Close Finish
Independent Councilor
1. Rachel Feldman – 401 Votes - ELECTED
2. Madeline Griffin – 319 Votes - ELECTED
3. Abstain – 132 Votes
4. Spoiled – 6 Votes
Total Vote Count: 858 Votes
There will be a by-election in the Fall to elect VP Communications.
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