The holidays are here and reading for pleasure is in season, so as a fan of Japanese literature (even if I don’t study it), here are a few books I really think you should check out. (Yes, they are translated to English.) Some of them can be found at your local bookstore, while others will require perhaps a trip to Robarts or an e-mail to a Japanese literature professor who happens to have an obscure translation. Most books can probably be found at the Japan Foundation Library, where you can get a library card for free. (You’ll need to be a Toronto resident for at least 3 months and a piece of I.D. with your address.) The author’s names will be listed here with the last name last as in the North American custom since they will appear on the covers like this if you’re reading a translation. Continue reading “A Few Picks from a Japanese Literature Aficionado”
Google’s Badly Marketed Wave
It sounds like the perfect advertising campaign: tell people you’ve built the new generation of [insert product name here], and make them wait for an invite to use it. In theory, it’s the perfect way to build up hype. This must be what was going through Google’s marketing people’s heads when they chose this as the strategy for marketing Google Wave.
So what’s Wave? Well, that’s part of the problem.
Wave is Google’s new product. From my experiences with it, I would say it’s part email, part messenger, and huge chunk wiki. As their horribly-named video host, Dr. Wave, explains, instead of sending copies of the same message around (like we do with email), there is only one copy of the message, which anyone can access, modify, and comment on. Like wiki in email form. It’s a brilliant concept. Continue reading “Google’s Badly Marketed Wave”
A Trip Down Nostalgia Crescent
As December rolls right in, we are constantly reminded of our material desires as shopping malls are filled with Christmas trees, deals and stores with gift-wrapping services for the gift-wrapping-challenged. Nonetheless, although I can’t personally give presents to every single one of the wonderful readers at blogUT, I shall offer this article, which will hopefully offer fond memories and just maybe, reclaim the soul that you lost when you came to U of T. Think back to your childhood days as you slept in and had free time, do you remember asking for these things (or paraphernalia relating to these things) for Christmas/Hanukkah/name your winter holiday? (Warning: if you were not born in the late-80s or early 90s, these things may not apply to you. If that is the case, I entitle you to shake your head and mutter, “Crazy kids, back in my day…” and then write an entry on your own childhood fads and phases.) Continue reading “A Trip Down Nostalgia Crescent”
U of T News in a Nutshell: Everyone has beef with the UTSU
Image from x3nomic in the blogUT Flickr pool
Take our nose out of your textbook for a minute to find out what’s going on outside of the exam craze.
It seems that everyone is pissed off at the UTSU. A lot went down at their Annual General Meeting on November 19th. For one, the college councils have a few issues, which you can read the details of here. Furthermore, the meeting started 45 minutes late and ended 3 hours late, because students from UTM were delayed by traffic, meaning that people who planned to leave on time were left out. The Varsity has the rest of the details along with a giant list of comments.
The French Club (EFUT) is disappointed that they won’t find out whether or not they will receive funding from the UTSU until January because they didn’t submit a list of their members with their funding application. This list need to include the names, students numbers, and enrolment statuses of each member, which the EFUT says violates the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The executives have already spent $1,000 paying for events out of their own pockets. Sounds similar to something that happened to us at blogUT >_>
Some interdisciplinary programs may be on the chopping block unless colleges provide sufficiently convincing reviews to the Faculty of Arts and Science.
The Admissions and Awards building has moved to 172 St. George Street, a building U of T bought in 2008.
To end on a happy note (unless you are graduating this year, in which case this does not apply to you), the TTC has extended the Metropass discount to all post-secondary students. This means that you can buy the pass for $99, which is $12 less than it would be.