So you may have noticed almost everything I wrote in January is gone from the site. I accidentally deleted my blog a few weeks ago and my hoster wasn’t able to bring back anything after Jan 7th.
Live and learn I guess…

If you liked Terry Talks then you are going to love Terry’s next big event: Terry Tales!
This is your chance to meet and talk with like minded students about issues that matter to you. Think of it as a mini-Terry Talks. Each student comes with a 5 minute story in min about whatever topic they like. Everyone’s name is put into a hat and the names that come out get to tell their story to the group.
Its a great chance to meet new people, share ideas, and be inspired!
Terry Tales …

I recently came across a website, DNA 11, whose catchphrase is There is Only One Original. They are, of course, referring to you your genetic make-up which the company collects and creates artwork out of. It sounds absurd but this is how it works.
DNA 11 sends you a mouth swab that you use to collect epithelial cells from the inside of your cheek. You then mail these back to the company and they conduct a gel electrophoresis run of your genes. The results of this (the black and white bands …

So I just received an e-mail from UBC asking me to fill out a survey on tuition. There are three questions and they read as follows:

To what extent will the proposed 2% tuition increase ($88.59 on a base Arts/Science tuition) be an impediment to you continuing your studies at UBC?
Your tuition currently pays for 28%-30% of the operating costs of your UBC education. A government grant and investment income pays the balance. Choose one of the following to rate this 28%-30%:
What is the most important thing for UBC to invest …

By far the one of the best experiences I’ve ever been a part of was attending the 2nd Annual Clinton Global Initiative University Conference in Austin, TX last year.

If you are a student bent on making a positive difference in the world then this is the place to get your start. This year, the 3rd CGIU is happening in Miami from April 16-18. It will undoubtedly be as awesome this year as it was last year. Participants will get to hear speeches from and interact with world leaders in many …

Are you going to the Student Leadership Conference this year? Its on January 9th and all of the information is available on how to attend at the SLC homepage. This years keynote speaker is Canadian Senator Romeo Dallaire. I would highly recommend registering to attend the well recognized event! you can get all the necessary information on the SLC Homepage.
If you are attending (and here comes the shameless plug) I’m running two sessions that day that you might think about signing up for. They first is ‘Finding Your Element’ where …

Open source technology has changed the world. The results of OST can be seen in programs we use everyday – Firefox, bitTorrents, Wordpress. Leading programs are looking towards the masses for better, more adaptable solutions. But what happens when open source technology leaves the digital world and becomes physical?
That’s what researchers University of Bath are looking at. Lead by Adrian Bowyer, the team has created RepRap: an open source machine that is capable of creating (at least in part) a copy of itself.
You may have heard of three dimensional printers …

A little challenge I’ve given myself over the past couple days is trying to solve a cryptic crossword puzzle. What is a cryptic crossword puzzle? It is a type of crossword puzzle where each clue is a puzzle in itself. The real challenge of cryptics is actually figuring out what the question is asking you. Once you do this the answer becomes very quickly apparent.
Its been a fair challenge to figure out but I thought I would share with you what I’ve learned so far.

So recently feathers have been ruffled people have been causing a ruckus around an ad attempted to be published in the two major Calgary papers. The ad, produced by the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS), depicts a competing cowboy calf-roping a calf as a bully/baby relationship.
Peter Fricker of the Vancouver Humane Society on Monday:
We think the calf roping is one of the cruelest of rodeo events. We felt that there wasn’t any other major animal protection group taking on that issue at the stampede.
Obviously, whats good for the goose must be …

Happy Canada Day everyone.
Today is one of my favourite days of the year because we get to celebrate the 142nd birthday of our country. Its not just a paltry rip off of July 4th either, its the day we get to gloat about living in the best nation in the world.
As part of the day of civic pride, I thought I would share with you my favourite 5 Canadians. These are people who inspire me and we should all be proud of. The list isn’t in any particular order.