Jin Song
SFU’s new supercomputer, Fir, is now online
November 11, 2025By: Jin Song, Peak Associate SFU now hosts Canada’s fastest supercomputer, Fir. Designed for data and compute-intensive research such as artificial intelligence (AI), Fir came online in September and is the only Canadian machine in the global top 100 supercomputers. Fir replaced its predecessor, Cedar, which was “an eight-year-old system at the time that it was decommissioned,” said James Peltier, director of research computing at SFU. Peltier is “also the site lead for SFU with respect to the supercomputing systems that are part of the national platform.” From a technology perspective, eight years is a significant number. Peltier said Fir…
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SIGGRAPH 2025: a retrospective
November 10, 2025By: Jin Song, Peak Associate SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques) is the largest computer graphics conference in the world, bringing together scientists, artists, and other professionals working on cutting-edge technologies in the field. It has…
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Experiencing Oshougatsu
January 22, 2025By: Jin Song, Peak Associate Oshougatsu, which is Japanese for New Year, is celebrated at the start of January. It is also known as shougatsu. Typical traditions include house cleaning to symbolize new beginnings, viewing the first sunrise, and the…
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SFU student verbally harassed on campus by group of teenagers
January 13, 2025By: Mason Mattu, News Writer Content warning: details of harassment, and racist and sexist language. The safety of SFU students is being questioned after an incident of verbal harassment against an SFU student occurred on the Burnaby Campus on November…
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Bright-er Side: Navigating the maze of Burnaby Mountain
September 26, 2024By: Jin Song, Peak Associate My first experience of SFU’s Burnaby campus was struggling to find TASC 9204 for an absurd amount of time. Even with the help of Google Maps, SFU Snap, the campus maps, and strangers (none of…
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An argument for reducing your meat intake
September 18, 2024By: Jin Song, Peak Associate Content warning: mentions of animal cruelty. In another, far-off universe, humans might be photosynthetic — converting sunlight to energy as our source of food. Luckily, in our universe, we get to enjoy the great pleasure…
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Back-to-school isn’t an excuse for mass consumerism
September 13, 2024By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer With back-to-school shopping in full swing, many students have participated in the annual shopping spree of stocking up on snazzy supplies, the latest technology, and clothing galore. These days, it’s become a market of wants…
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Opinions in Dialogue: Is social media helpful or harmful?
May 25, 2024By: Jin Song, Peak Associate and Michelle Young, Copy Editor Social media use has skyrocketed in recent years. What once felt like a novelty is now commonplace, as it’s become increasingly rare to meet someone who doesn’t use any form…
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I don’t know how to feel about Kung Fu Panda 4
May 16, 2024By: Jin Song, Peak Associate It’s hard to understate the impact of Kung Fu Panda (2008) on pre-teen me, along with many others. The scene revealing the truth behind the secret ingredient is something I still think about to this…
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Navigating the soaring costs of groceries
May 15, 2024By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer If you’ve recently gone grocery shopping, you’ve likely noticed concerning rises in food prices. Why has everything gone up a couple of bucks, but the portions have gotten smaller (also known as shrinkflation)? Why have…
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