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Tech takes the distance out of ‘long distance’ relationships

By
EIC
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0
SIAT prof Carman Neustaedter found his inspiration for the tech out of a desire to connect with his mother in another city.

An SFU professor’s research will soon let you enjoy a bike ride with loved ones — even on opposite sides of the world.

Carman Neustaedter, an associate professor in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology, is reimagining the way we stay in touch. His research is being conducted through SFU’s Connections Lab (cLab), a research group focused on human-computer technology of which he is the director.

Beyond Skype and FaceTime, Neustaedter wants to enable people to share activities over long distances. This could include going on a hike, playing sports, or visiting a museum — all with the help of a sophisticated mobile video communication system.

Neustaedter’s study, Be With Me: An Immersive Experience for Long Distance Couples takes long distance dating to a new level, allowing for partners to “[share] their daily activities, experiences, and an understanding of each other’s physical space.” While the published study is focused more on romantic partnerships, Neustaedter says the technology is also applicable to families and friends hoping to connect over greater distances.

As a part of the study, two people went on bike rides in different areas. Users were equipped with gear to wear on their head that combined a smartphone decked out with a 360 degree camera and Google Cardboard so that each cyclist could see each other’s surroundings and expressions. They could switch between viewing their own surroundings and their partner’s.

When one cyclist stopped to admire the view, the other could see the same thing, as well as the smile on their friend’s face.

Neustaedter calls this a “parallel experience,” where both individuals are doing the same activity at the same time, but in different places. The same technology can be used to create a what he terms a “mixed experience,” where one individual communicates from home while the other does an activity.

This unique approach creates real time, two-way, interactive communication, combining the benefits of existing technologies like Skype and GoPro.

Neustaedter hopes his work will bring friends and family together in ways that overcome distance or mobility. “That’s what we’re really trying to do — to enable people to do things with their loved ones regardless of where they live in the world,” he said.

He predicts social and accessibility benefits for people like  distant family members, long-distance partners, and international students.

Neustaedter is one of over 50 SFU faculty members funded through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s Discovery grants. The grants contribute $11 million for SFU research.

There’s still a lot of work to do before this technology becomes accessible to the public. In addition to cost and infrastructure, Neustaedter acknowledged both safety and privacy concerns that have stopped technologies like Google Glass from being widely used.

“You need to design it so that it takes away people’s anxieties and concerns about the social consequences about technology,” Neustaedter said.

Neustaedter’s work promises to bring people together in new and interactive ways, with the technology to make distance disappear.

Men’s advocacy group holds event to address male suicide

By
EIC
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1
The event was held in Harbour Centre earlier this month.

The SFU Advocacy for Men and Boys (SFUAMB) club decided to speak up about the ‘quiet crisis’ known as the gender discrepancy among those who commit suicide.

In an event held at Harbour Centre on July 3 entitled “The Suicide Sex,” the club brought in speaker Dr. Rob Whitley, the principal investigator of the Social Psychiatry Research and Interest Group at the Douglas Institute’s Research Centre and an assistant professor at the Department of Psychiatry at McGill.

According to the most recent Statistics Canada data from 2012, there are approximately 4,000 suicides a year in Canada, and approximately 75 per cent of those are committed by men.

Whitley began his presentation by tossing out a few of the platitudes surrounding the stigmas of male suicide — “men are stubborn; men are self-defeating; men don’t talk about their feelings” — before promptly dismissing them.

“If you came here to listen to me say that men have to be more like women, that’s not what I’m saying,” said Whitley.

He focused the majority of his talk on the causes for male suicide, including major life transitions that men can go through and how they may feel as though they have lost their purpose. He identified divorce, unemployment, retirement, and bereavement as some of these aforementioned life transitions.

Another major cause Whitley addressed is the socio-economic pressure men often face, acknowledging that status and material possessions put a lot of pressure on men.

“I would say that status is an issue in suicide for many men, and that we live in a society where status is defined unidimensionally,” he said. “Sadly, [this is] usually related to material things, cars, watches, clothes, job — and maybe I’m romanticizing things, but in times past, status was also derived from community involvement and just being a decent, upstanding person.”

He expressed that a lot of the newer jobs of today don’t have the same meaningful impact as those in the past, and touched on how this could affect men’s perceptions of the work that they do.

“Being a working man — a miner or a fisherman — was a very honourable trade. It was an important job. Mining gave you energy for the country, fishing gave you food for the country. We’ve decoupled the profession from the social importance. With respect to these people, we’ve got thousands of people working in marketing and public relations,;what do these jobs actually contribute towards society?”

Towards the end of his talk, Whitley discussed potential ways of addressing the suicide epidemic. He said that Canada needs an anti-suicide national strategy, which would help on the macro level for the country. On a more individual level, he stressed that there needs to be more availability in mental health resources for men, as well as more representation for men among health care professionals trained to deal with such issues.

He pointed to programs like  Men’s Sheds as a newer kind of resource that could be more beneficial for men. Men’s Sheds started in Australia, and is a place where men can get together and do activities like woodworking projects, bike repairs, and other social events organized specifically for men. Whitley added that some men may prefer that to counseling, as they might feel it helps them more to do than to talk.

He did stress that different people respond to different treatment, and the goal is just to have more resources for all men to allow them to choose the mental health care they receive.

Ultimately, Whitley suggested that though alternative resources should be made available, men dealing with suicidal thoughts should not hesitate to seek help from all available resources.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, there are resources available to you.

SFU Health and Counselling Emergency Services

Burnaby: 778-321-4615

Surrey: 778-782-8022

Vancouver: 778-782-5200

BC and Canada-wide

Anywhere in BC: 1-800-SUICIDE

(1-800-784-2433)

Mental health support BC-wide: 310-6789

Vancouver: 604-872-3311

Howe Sound and Sunshine Coast: 1-866-661-3311

TTY for the hearing- and speech-impaired:

1-866-872-0113

Online chat for youth:

www.YouthInBC.com

Online chat for adults:

www.CrisisCentreChat.ca

Youth Space text chat for those under 30: 778-783-0177

Emergency line: 911

Album Reveiws

By
Peak Web
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0

By: Courtney Miller and Nathan Ross

Nick Jonas – Last Year Was Complicated

It’s hard to believe that Last Year Was Complicated is Nick Jonas’ third solo album — I feel like I don’t hear much about the guy aside from “Jealous.” I don’t find a lot of originality in this album. It sounds like something from last year’s top 40. Not so complicated, Jonas.

“Champagne Problems” and “Don’t Make Me Choose” sound like they could be the Weeknd, with some slight octave shifting, and “Touch” is a Bruno Mars knock-off. Jonas does do some experimenting, like on “Voodoo” which is groovy and exotic. “Under You” might be my favourite off the record, but maybe that’s because of the Taylor Swift I can hear. “Unhinged” is a solid ballad, but it’s hard to tell with all that synthesizer.

It’s not a bad album. But it’s also nothing we haven’t heard before. – CM

Dierks Bentley – Black

Black is Dierks Bentley’s follow-up to the wildly successful and overall enjoyable Riser. Black is good, though not quite on the same level as its predecessor. However, it is a lot more cohesive on the whole. No track stands out, either in a good or a bad way. It’s a concept album that embodies the rollercoaster of what a relationship is. Overall, the songwriting is solid.

The lead single off the album, “Somewhere on a Beach” is not the best lyrically: “I’m getting sun, I’m getting some, and I ain’t slept in a week.” It’s almost tragically catchy.

The whole album has a feel of emotion, without seeming too personal. “Black” opens the album with a little sexiness, but the duet with Maren Morris, “I’ll Be the Moon” has pristine harmonies and deals with the dreaded love triangle. Meanwhile, “Different for Girls” goes through a heartbreak from the perspectives of both a guy and a girl. – CM

Hannah Georgas – For Evelyn

There’s a moment near the end of “Rideback” — the opener on Hannah Georgas’ new album, For Evelyn — where the soft saxophone line becomes a blaring moment of noise, which sounds great in context but is also incredibly unsettling. After singing “What if the best times are all up? / What if it’s just the ride back now?” it makes sense.

This album is about pushing forward amidst uncertainty and anxiety, and doing your best to find beauty and meaning in it. However, this album is Georgas saying that despite the best intentions, the unknown can still take over sometimes.

This theme is conveyed beautifully over Georgas’ matured synth-pop sound she’s developed since 2008. Standouts include the heartbreaking “Don’t Go” and the self-doubting “Waste.” The emotional impact is as poignant as how Georgas decides to personify it through her music, and this album perfectly takes up the space that otherwise can hang in the unwanted moments. – NR

Yes We Mystic will be your Forgiver

By
EIC
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0
The theme of betrayal and forgiveness courses through the band’s latest release.

After touring through Germany and the UK, Winnipeg band Yes We Mystic are excited to return home. “Touring Western Canada is our favorite because that’s what’s familiar to us. It’s where we started,” Adam Fuhr, lead vocalist and guitarist, said.

The band have made a dynamic statement with their latest effort, Forgiver. Prior to the album’s release, they ran an interesting campaign in 10 different cities. They put up posters asking people to text the answer to “What have you been unable to forgive?” to a number on the poster, along with their album heading scrawled across the poster.

It was brilliant brand marketing on their part, allowing them to connect with people on a broadly relatable subject and introducing the public to their folk-tinged indie style.

They certainly made Canada Day especially rad for Vancouverites who saw them live at the Biltmore Cabaret, bringing forth an exceptional live performance. I have never heard such a seamless transition from recorded to live sound.

The passionate and intense way each of the band members performed completely captivated the crowd, who were unable to keep from swaying to the music. The only way I can describe the energy of the band on the cavernous stage of the Biltmore Cabaret is that it was as though each member was literally throwing themselves into their instruments.

My favourite moment was when keyboardist Jodi Plenert played an intense verse on the cello, then actually threw aside her bow in order to play the notes on the keyboard just in time.

The album, which plays on the theme of betrayal and forgiveness, made for a beautiful, nostalgic, and orchestral set. Combined with a couple of rock covers, the concert met every expectation in the crowd.

Fuhr and Keegan Steele collaborate in creating the songs, typically with Fuhr composing the music and Steele writing the words. “For inspiration we draw from things we like just as most musicians do, but we also try to draw from things we don’t like,” Fuhr explained. “For example, we’ll try to take a sound that is off-putting or has become a cliché over the years and use what was once good about it to make something fresh and new.”

It is clear that Yes We Mystic have come a long way since their start and has a really great team of dedicated musicians. “Keegan and I were in another band in high school and it was a mess but lots of fun,” Fuhr said. “When the band broke up in a very dramatic and high school way, we decided we weren’t ready to quit music just yet.”

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates isn’t as dumb as it sounds

By
EIC
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0
Only a movie like this could make "lavender juice box" work as a new name for a vagina.

If you’ve seen a romantic comedy before, you know the plot of Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates: boy meets girl in quirky circumstance, things go wrong, things get deep, things get worse, everyone has a coming-of-age moment, the leads save the day, and — if you’re lucky — it ends with a dance number. What makes this movie stand out is that it’s actually funny.

The film starts with the greatest visual representation of expectations versus reality that I’ve ever seen, kicking off the plot early and somewhat haphazardly. As the titular Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron) search for the perfect girls to take to their sister’s wedding, we meet Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza), out of work waitresses who are not in the best place in their lives. When the girls see the viral news story about two brothers trying to find dates to take to Hawaii, they hatch a plan to meet and trick them into taking them on an all-expenses-paid vacation.

There were three things about this movie that surprised me, the first of which being that Aubrey Plaza wasn’t the best character in the movie. Going into the showing, I was convinced that if anyone could save a movie like this from being a total shit show, it was Plaza.

However, her character was poorly written, her acting felt forced, and her chemistry with the other characters was nonexistent. There are brief moments when Plaza’s true nature shines through — her best scenes by far come halfway through the movie — but they are few and far between. The biggest mistake this movie made was thinking Plaza could convincingly play a character that unironically says “gurl.”

The second surprise of the movie was how good Efron and Devine were together. These two aren’t the most likely pair, but their ability to play off one another is undeniable.

Efron does have his lacklustre moments — especially in early scenes with co-star Kendrick — but overall, his character is really entertaining. Devine is the star of the movie, bringing every bit of comedy chops he has. Though the two are better together, Devine doesn’t need any help getting laughs on his own.

However, the biggest surprise of Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates was that it was actually pretty good.

Was it the most original movie out there? No. Mike and Dave will not be receiving any nominations come awards season, but it’s a fun way to spend a night out at the movies. You’ll laugh, you’ll feel — the line “I used to think I was destined for great things” hit a little too close to home — and you’ll learn an important lesson that you probably should have already known: don’t try to find a fucking wedding date on Craigslist.

CINEPHILIA: An off-the-leash look at man’s best friend

By
EIC
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0
While the human is away the cat will play, or just eat your roast chicken.

The Secret Life of Pets is easily distracted and prone to tangents, like a dog that suddenly chases after a ball.

Directed by Yarrow Cheney and Chris Renaud, The Secret Life of Pets imagines what your domesticated critters are doing while you’re away. The story centers on Max, an only pet whose owner rescues a stray dog, forcing the pampered terrier to share his space. When Max and his new roommate Duke get lost and picked up by an underground group of stray animals, they have to find their way back home before their owner returns from work.

What makes The Secret Life of Pets exceptional is also what makes it frustrating: it isn’t on a leash. Because there are no rules, there isn’t a rigid structure, and we leap between plot points with random occurrences rather than psychological motivations, which is in large part because most of the characters act purely on instinct.

When Max and Duke are threatened by a snake, a pile of bricks fall from the sky, then an entire wall. It’s something you might see in a Looney Tunes sketch, but within the confines of a feature-length film. The villain has motivations, but he quickly forgets them; there are character arcs, but they happen abruptly. The story is really just a framing device for a series of set pieces and funny situations. The Secret Life of Pets puts us in the manic headspace of an animal.

Thankfully, the film is committed to its comic ideas if not its thematic ones. Visually, we see things through a pet’s point of view: skyscrapers, cars, and people appear as though they’ve been squished to be tall and skinny, which is what you could imagine seeing if you lived your life two feet off the ground. Tonally, the perspective is disjointed and upbeat, and there is a sort of slapstick logic to a lot of what happens.

The jokes are simple in structure: do the opposite of what’s expected. A fluffy bunny is evil, an old dog with wheels for back legs is wicked fast, and a posh poodle in a luxury apartment rocks out to heavy metal when his owner is away.

Authored by the studio behind Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets is high-energy with a short attention span. It indulges in its creator’s best and worst impulses: skillful comic timing and lazy humour. This is a unique, flawed, enjoyable, and exhausting film. Although it’s devoid of meaning or feeling, there exists a bombastic, free-running spirit inside. The Energizer Bunny would be jealous.

An Open Letter from an Unrepentant Foodie

By
Peak Web
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0

Anyone who knows me personally knows that one of my greatest passions in life is good food. Legend has it, in fact, that like some sort of modern-adaptation gender-swapped Demeter, I emerged from the womb with a cornucopia in one hand and a pumpkin spice latte in the other. Bearing that in mind, watching fine meals go to waste is, understandably, a sore point.

I’ve fasted for Ramadan since the seventh grade, and grown up with my parents’ stories of working to escape poverty in a new country. I’ve undergone serious emotional upheavals due to Pretty Little Liars’ sharp decline in quality with little besides cinnamon swirl coffee cakes and green tea frappuccinos to comfort me. Those experiences have shaped me into a particularly vicious defender of the rights of all that is delicious.

The social etiquette engineered by a patriarchy that seeks to drive every single one of us to regret eating that extra cherry pie has silenced my blazing desire for justice on myriad occasions. I’ve seen close friends of mine drop Tim Hortons goods and chuck them away despite no actual food-floor contact having been made. On a field trip to the Chamber of Commerce to watch yet another politician wax lyrical about what they want us to believe are the “real issues,” I noted numerous unrepentant one-percenters abandoning plates of New York cheesecake because the colour contrasted with their perfectly sculpted buns and made for a suboptimal Instagram #foodporn post.

Look, I won’t bring the starving residents of developing countries into this. In fact, I have far too much respect for their daily struggles to so much as speak of them in the same sentence as the sycophants of extremist cuisine capitalism whom I criticize. But I ask those of you who can afford to spend $50+ at The Keg and trash half your dessert to at minimum consider the feelings of the petit bourgeois who settle for Superstore’s trusty tubs of heavenly hash ice cream.

That iced capp you just clumsily fumbled? Not one bit of it kissed dirt, you cotton-headed ninny-muggin. If it was good enough for you when you bought it, it’s still good enough for you now! Your “ending is better than mending” attitude is the reason we’re probably all doomed to an artless dystopia of social castes and hallucinogen addictions.

If you mean to forsake everything that you drop out of some bizarre scruples, then by God, start with that course you decided to take in a later semester (I promise you round two is probably not going to be any better), or that stale top 40 mixtape of which you’re probably so proud. And you know what? I bet Drake, Sia, and Selena Gomez all finish every last bite of their dishes and tip well to boot.

Alternatively, find some goddamn coordination if it helps you sleep peacefully. I understand the three-second rule doesn’t work for every scenario, but at least try to develop the grace, balance, and elegance necessary to cherish the spoils of your labour. Tell yourself that you deserve better than wasted, uneaten Twinkies.

With sincere love, and hope and confidence in my heart that you’ll change for the better,
A morally infuriated social crustice warrior,

Zach Siddiqui      

Other stupid holidays white people are bound to advocate for

By
EIC
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0

You may notice that we white people seem to ask for a whole load of stupid holidays. What most people don’t know, however, is that we whites have a plethora of frivolous holidays that we have yet to drop your way. Here’s a list of some other ones we’re getting ready to advocate for.

Reverse Racism Remembrance Day

 Can you remember all those times someone has referred to you as a cracker or honky? Well, I can remember all three! We would like to make November 12 a day to remember all those racist insults non-white people have ever thrown our way, with a moment of silence followed by a solemn performance of the “Chicken Dance.” Take that, reverse racism!

Basic Bitch/Bro Appreciation Day

 Whip out your Uggs and sip your pumpkin spice lattes, people — it’s time for the most basic day in history! February 6 is a time to celebrate your inner basic bitch or bro. This is an excellent time to head on over to Starbucks and chant “OMG I CAN’T EVEN!” as you sample a cornucopia of caffeine-infused beverages.

Bring Your Minority Friend to Work Day

Tired of everyone assuming you only have white friends? We feel your pain. On March 12, show up those generalizing assholes by bringing that one minority friend you have to work. Whether it’s your black friend who struggles to maintain a smile while you say the N-word during a Drake song, or that Asian friend who you make fun of for not being able to use chopsticks properly. You know you aren’t a racist, and fuck anyone who says otherwise!

Vent Your White Guilt Day

Many white people in this world totally aren’t racist at all, and just really mean well — and on May 27, by God, are we going to remind you all for the millionth time. So everyone, don’t be threatened if some white guy walks up to you to apologize for slavery, even though you’re actually Persian. We need to remind you that we feel really bad about a lot of shit, even if we don’t remember exactly who we did what shit to. Look, the point is we feel really bad guys! Can’t we just all get along?

Deliberating On Who is White Day

 This is the most important day for white people, because it’s the day we decide who is in the ‘club.’ Originally reserved for WASPs only, eventually we finally got around to bringing Irish, Italian, and Spanish people into the fold. So on June 25, get ready for us to figure out who’s in and who’s out. In the ‘40s Jewish people weren’t in vogue, but now they’re white as hell! And in the present day, anyone who’s Muslim is seen as some brown person who’s potentially a terrorist. So come on in and celebrate the lottery of who is least likely to get profiled in Western countries based on race! Woohoo!

You know you’re a gender studies student when…

By
EIC
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1

As a student in the tiny department of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies (GSWS), I get to be in the most engaging, thought-provoking, and entertaining classes every semester. Here are four tell-tale signs that you may be a GSWS student.

  • You become a feminist unicorn. Sniffing out discrimination, maiming misogyny with unicorn horns, and stomping out sexism with our hooves is what we do best, to achieve equality for all genders. We also wear sparkles, because we are fucking unicorns.
  • You become critical of everything. Remember that popular song by The Weeknd? Have fun pretending that those misogynistic lyrics don’t exist. Do you still love it anyway? Yes, of course — but that critical lens, once open, shall never close again!
  • You’ve been targeted by an anti-feminist Twitter troll. Ah, behold the typical ramblings of anti-feminists. With their keen talent for vulgar language and missing a point, get ready for comments such as, “Oooh. . . the big bad patriarchy boogeyman is out to get you??” Insert eye-roll here.
  • You love being completely aware of the gender norms that people follow.  Well, somebody told me that I can’t do something because of my gender again. Please excuse me while I go all Judith Butler on you and send those norms down to hell.

I don’t love myself, deal with it

By
EIC
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0
Hello. My name’s Courtney Miller and I don’t love myself.

 

It’s a simple statement that shouldn’t be a big deal. Nothing says that I’m required to give myself my own undying devotion — nothing except for the prolific mantra in our Western culture that states I do in fact need to love myself, and that if I can’t or I’m not trying to do so, there must be something wrong with me.

We even take it a step further by demanding that someone must love themselves before they can be in a loving relationship with someone else, or before anyone else will be able to love them. It’s an incredibly problematic sentiment, especially when we blur the definition of self-love to encompass self-value as well.

“If you don’t love yourself, how can you expect anyone else to love you?” is a question I’ve not only been asked myself, but one that has spread through our collective consciousness. These messages of self-love proliferate throughout our media, literature, and entertainment, and their toxicity has got to go. I don’t enjoy immersing myself in this culture of self-assigned self-worth.

I’m here to tell you that it’s all bullshit. If you love yourself, that’s fantastic. But there is nothing wrong with someone who doesn’t, and we should be more cognizant of the fact that not everyone even can. It should not be something we require of others.

I do not need to love myself in order to love others

When we push the idea of self-love on those who don’t feel capable of that experience, we’re only adding to their problems. No one should feel like an outcast because they don’t, won’t, or can’t participate in the same self-adoration rituals.

I probably will never love myself. I’ve accepted that, and others should, too. But just because I cannot love myself, or value myself, does not mean that I am incapable of engaging in love or having value. There is no reason why I cannot enjoy a happy, fulfilling life despite not loving myself. Nor do I need to love myself in order to love others.

I am the closest I have ever been to loving myself, and it’s not because I’ve meditated or done yoga, or read one of those self-help books about eating, praying, and loving, or had plenty of ‘me time.’  I already know and understand myself. That’s how I know that I don’t love myself.

Rather, I am the closest I have ever been because I’ve found somebody I love more than anyone else, and that connection gives me fulfillment.

She doesn’t need me to love myself, because she’s accepted that my lack of self-love is part of who I am. Despite not conforming to societal expectations, I have a wonderful relationship. “It’s okay if you don’t love yourself,” she said to me one day. “I love you enough for the both of us.”

We need more of this. People should be supporting others, not ostracizing them because they don’t feel comfortable engaging in self-adoration.

So please, don’t passive-aggressively send me links to BuzzFeed articles about how to love myself, don’t suggest self-help books to me, and don’t tell me I just need to find myself. Trust that I know myself well enough to be able to find my own inner peace, even if it doesn’t look like yours. Love isn’t one size fits all, so stop trying to make it that way.

It’s exhausting to be surrounded by people giving relationship advice that entirely consists of mantras like “You need to love yourself before you can love someone else.” We shouldn’t tell people who to love, and that means we shouldn’t tell them how to love, either.

Not only do you not have to love yourself to love someone romantically — you don’t even have to love someone else at all. How you feel is how you feel, so screw people who tell you that you’re doing it wrong. Feelings are never incorrect. No one can dictate to someone else how they should feel.

If you want to learn how to love yourself, go for it. I wish you all the success in the world. But don’t try to shoehorn self-love into your life if it doesn’t feel right. Don’t do it if it’ll only frustrate and upset you. You are how you are, and you are lovely as-is.

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024