Last week, the Silhouette News team wrote up platform critiques for each of this year’s McMaster Students Union presidential election candidates. The critiques collectively point out that while the candidates are trotting out some interesting ideas, many are patently unfeasible.
Madison Wesley advocates for a McMaster campus store textbook rental program, but the director of retail services at McMaster told our News contributor that the program would be impossible to implement.
Justin Lee hopes to unveil “Uber for Busses,” but does not establish how he will work with app developers, the Hamilton Street Railway, McMaster and Hamilton city council to bring this to fruition.
Jeffry Campana aspires to build a McMaster ice rink by 2020, but as our News Reporter highlighted, plans to do the same in previous years collapsed in the face of insurance and accessibility obstacles.
Josh Marando wants to increase the deferred maintenance budget by $12,000,000 a year. Nevertheless, as our Features Reporter articulates, Marando’s plan hinges on acquiring Ontario government grants. Under the Ford government and recent budget cuts, this plan is just not feasible.
This is not to say that this year’s candidates have a limited knowledge of the MSU and what students care about. With a renewed focus on issues like accessibility and food security, the candidates seem to be cognizant of at least some pervasive student concerns.
They just also failed to do their MSU due diligence and consultation homework.
Whoever wins tonight should keep in mind that the MSU president does not have jurisdiction beyond the maroon-coloured walls of the union’s office.
Our next MSU president should fight to uphold their promises, but also shrink their imagination down to what is possible during their term.
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Earlier this month, six McMaster geography PhD students launched CherryPic, an app that, according to their press release, claims to be “a Netflix for your life, a localized Pinterest, and a Tinder for activities.”
In other terms, CherryPic is an account-free photo-sharing app that allows users to share images of local events with other users. Right now, the app is only functional in the Hamilton area, but the team is working on a new version that will show posts based on the user’s location.
“We want to take that format where you’re just browsing passively and turn that into some kind of information transfer. Facebook and Instagram are like the sitcoms and dramas of television. We want to be the Discovery Channel,” explained Charles Burke, one of the app’s creators.
He also highlighted the fact that none of the students involved in the project have any background in app creation. He said that while some see it as a “throwaway subject… geography is starting to ask all these big questions and get involved with technology.”
The group’s affiliation with the university has been beneficial throughout CherryPic’s yearlong development. Not only were they able to secure roughly $10,000 in funding through the Forward With Integrity and School of Graduate Studies grant programs, they were also able to connect with Ed Parsons, Google’s Chief Geospatial Technologist. Late last fall, Parsons gave a talk at McMaster through Geographers Without Borders.
“What he said was that at the core, what geography is meant to do is make it so you never feel like you’re lost,” Burke said.
Following Parsons’ talk, the CherryPic creators discussed some fundamental questions of geography, perhaps most notably how technology shapes our sense of place.
“What CherryPic does is give you a friend from the area, but because it’s account-free… your one friend in the area could be thousands of friends,” Burke said.
Users take a photo of an event around them, upload it to CherryPic and caption it with a description of the picture, similar to a Snapchat story. Users then have the option to link their upload to a website or video, a function made possible due to the app being powered by Google.
Burke believes that the CherryPic app enables people to search for something they don’t yet know exists.
Since its launch earlier this month, CherryPic already boasts over 300 users, many of whom have praised the app for its ability to share information about the events that might go unnoticed, such as small concerts or events being held by local or university-run clubs.
But CherryPic is not without its critics. One user approached the team with the concern that app is remarkably similar to Instagram in that it is used to share pictures of events. However, Burke and his team are not concerned by this criticism.
“Our app allows you to discover what is going on around you in the present or future and can in turn become the moments that end up on Instagram,” he said.
There is also the concern of groups using the app to advertise, as CherryPic provides the perfect platform to do so. Burke admitted the app is to an extent an advertising platform, but he compared it to the level of advertising one would see on a poster.
“If you are putting up posters… you are desperate to find the people interested in what you have,” he explained. Users are able to report anything that looks suspiciously like an advertisement—a skill Burke says we all possess, and the developers are able to remove anything from their end as well.
Burke is proud of how far CherryPic has come since it was conceived a year ago. “Obviously [the app] is not all the way there yet. We’ve created a Model T car for creating this sense of place,” he said. He hopes his passion for CherryPic will excite other young innovators.
“We’re building a Silicon Valley here at Mac, but we need more people.”
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By: Beth Barr
One of my favourite family stories is how my grandparents met. They, literally, bumped heads over a microscope during undergraduate biology in the 1950s. Their story, although beautiful, is far too romantic and spontaneous for my over-stimulated brain. So I beg the question: where do we meet men and women to date?
It would seem that app developers around the world have leapt to our rescue. Why not put dating where we keep our music, schedules, alarm clocks, games, and light reading? For a generation dependent on cell phones for daily function and comfort, it only makes sense to tie dating into our virtual world. Right in your pocket, people across campus are using apps to “see” multiple people, changing the very nature of the dating game. Hook-up apps aside, the expediency of the dating app world puts hundreds of other people at the mercy of your swiping thumb — people you may have never interacted with otherwise.
It is a beautiful thing – opening your horizons and meeting new people can never be thought of in a negative way. But when we look at the quality of these interactions, what do we find? Quick and easy hook-ups are great; but how do you really get to know someone through a screen? What happened to the face- to-face struggles of dating and conveying who you are in the span of a date? When did our generation decide that the ease of detachedly sitting on the other end of a phone or computer was worth more than making a long-lasting, quality connection?
Let’s address an interesting question: can we, as intelligent young adults, successfully make the transition from a semi-detached virtual connection to an in-person one? How would we go about doing this? Might we chuck our phones out the window and run to the person with whom we’ve been sharing details of our lives? What if that person isn’t who they made themselves out to be? We’ve all heard of “Catfishing” over the Internet— heck, there are entire TV series on this topic.
Can we, as today’s youth, be comfortable and unashamed about using these apps? Most importantly, can we make these connections strong enough to sustain a new generation? Or will the next generation be the product of divorced/separated parents, whose love story is a lie conjured from the embarrassment of meeting on Tinder?
Okay, fine, maybe I am exaggerating in my anti-Tinder tirade. Perhaps these so-called hook-up platforms are nothing more than a silly game people play in their spare time. Maybe Tinder and similar mobile apps could be a platform for love at first sight? A medium that could facilitate the happy relationships and marriages of couples that were just meant to be? I am doubtful, but cannot say for sure. There are some people who dismiss apps like Tinder and other dating sites like OkCupid as not viable options for real relationships and we have all heard online dating horror stories, but maybe, there is a possibility to find love in a hopeless place.
Dating apps have been around for a while but they’ve become increasingly popular on university campuses. Only time will tell whether our generation will be the one of simple, spontaneous love, or just love for things that are overly simple and spontaneous.
By: Olivia Monardo
Finding a significant other these days can be difficult, especially with the added pressure of maintaining a solid social media presence on multiple platforms. But what if I told you that there is an app that can take all these troubles away? Introducing Luxy, the dating app for only the snobbiest, most self-indulgent people. Luxy incorporates aspects of Instagram, Facebook, and even Twitter into one big mobile dating service that lets people pick their most desired matches based on the three best selfies they choose to display. The only catch? You have to be rich to use it. Along with providing information on your favourite designer brands, Luxy lets you know the net worth of each one of your matches—which is obviously what truly matters when choosing a mate.
The CEO of Luxy, whoever he is, remains anonymous due to the fact that he fears the criticisms that may come along with this app. But who would criticize such a forward-thinking app? It’s not like Luxy bases its matches on pure aesthetic, or decides a person’s worth based on the brands they choose or the ritzy sports they play. No, Luxy prides itself on maintaining a reliable, solid network of all the richest people within a 100-kilometer radius, ensuring that none of these rich people should be forced to flirt among the general population.
Luxy allows each of its users three rounds of people choosing per day. Each round consists of 10 profiles; those of which get accepted appear in a list that does nothing more than remind you how lonely you truly are. In order to message one of these obviously elite people, they must first accept you in return, and the chances of that are slim to none. Although Luxy is an app with very few problems, it doesn’t take into account the ego of the rich people who use it. Not only do they want everyone to know how great they are, they want to know how great everyone else is too, which often leaves them disappointed, bored, and impatiently waiting to play their next round.
Morning Kit provides an easy-to-use app that aggregates important information to expedite your mornings. It provides an alarm, the current weather, a world clock, exchange rates and a variety of other options for people to check first thing in the morning in one convenient app.
It is rather effective in achieving its goal as it is easy to use right after downloading, and it is flexible to accommodate customization. The minimalist layout is easy on the eyes and incredibly informative. On top of that, there is minimal delay in accessing additional detail. After setting it up to your liking, the only actual time investment is for further changes or to use of its calendar. Each of its features is comparable in quality to its equivalent on an Apple or Android device, so using this app allows you to aggregate individual apps without losing functionality. This app is all about accessibility.
But Morning Kit does have its limitations. The default layout consists of a four-square board in which to place each section. If you require more, the paid version offers six squares. Some sections like quotes are not customizable except for the language. Furthermore, text often cuts off mid-word making each quote an incredibly awkward read. You can only set a maximum of three alarm slots unless you pay for more. No preview of the alarm volume means that you have to simply guess the level suitable for you, and there is also no vibrate option to the alarm system. If you're a stickler about your alarms, use something else to help you wake up.
All in all, it is a good app if you're willing to trade detail for convenience, which you probably are in the groggy seconds following a rude awakening. Morning Kit is easy to set up, easy to use, and it cuts down on the amount of time you spend in the morning idly browsing your phone for daily information like weather and news. Again, if you're looking for detail or nuance, relying on a bevy of apps is likely the better option. If convenience is what you crave, Morning Kit is highly recommended, especially for the average university student who is looking to maximize the precious seconds between waking up and scrambling to campus.
Have you ever wondered what exactly the products sitting in your makeup bag are made of? Neither have I really. But we need to – especially as some of the most popular cosmetics and personal care products are reeking of carcinogenic and toxic ingredients. Think Dirty can change the way we think about what we’re putting on or in our bodies, even if the truth is “pretty damn gross”.
Partnered with the Breast Cancer Fund and their Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, this mobile app is a small but mighty way to revolutionize the way we buy makeup. There’s a scanning feature that works to recognize over 55,200 products. Once scanned or searched, the “dirty meter” tells you the usually painful truth in three categories: carcinogenicity, development and reproductive toxicity, and allergies & immunotoxicities. Once one of those three bars reaches the red end, you’re dealing with some pretty nasty stuff.
Most of all, Think Dirty educates us to become less intimidated by the chemicals we can barely say in one breath by telling us exactly what we need to know: the primary usage and health impacts.
Staying healthy comes hand in hand with awareness, and Think Dirty helps promote exactly that.
Labelled as the “first ever app for girls” (I honestly don’t know what that means, does my gender prevent me from enjoying Instagram and Plants vs. Zombies?), Lulu is a virtual ranking system that allows a female-only audience to rank their male friends, lovers, ex-lovers, and crushes on a scale of one to ten based on appearance, personality and habitual behaviour.
While its main intention is to help girls “make smarter decisions” (as explained on their website), it comes across as more of a degrading and insulting forum that encourages people to make quick and rash decisions based on gossip from complete strangers.
The app requires its users to log in via Facebook, where they will then be linked to profiles for their male friends. The interface is compiled of a large collage of faces and profiles which users can tap on, read, and contribute too.
Users have the option to provide men with a number ranking, define what their relationship to them is (i.e. friend, ex, crush), and then describe them using brief sentences and hastags (i.e. #boysgotgame, #disappears, or #cheapasabigmac). In the collage setting, men are given an averaged ranking with a list of their most popular hashtags, while users can click on their profiles and read the full descriptions.
While it is a laugh at times, it can also be sad to see your friends getting low rankings or insulting descriptions, and makes you feel like a massive stalker (especially the “Last Seen At” option). And while it is user friendly for straight female clients, it isn’t very inclusive for other sexualities.
Overall, Lulu has good intentions, but is the creepy neighbour equivalent of apps.
In December 2011, Thusanthan Kannan stayed late on McMaster campus and was looking to purchase refreshments from a Tim Hortons.
Unfortunately, he did not realize that every establishment was closed for the night. Frustrated, Kannan had an epiphany, realizing he “could have saved… so much time and energy if [he] had only known the [opening and closing] times beforehand.” After consulting his close friends, Kulwinder Billen and Jerry Oku, the trio decided to remedy this problem through the creation of a new Android application, MacPoint.
MacPoint is an application catered to “anyone that spends their time on [McMaster] campus,” said Billen.
“The app allows one to be able to recognize and find the various buildings and hospitality services throughout campus. And on top of all this goodness, each point of interest we have covered will present its respective hours of operation.”
The production of the app began in the summer of 2012. The trio met many difficulties along the way, explained Kannan.
“We were going into Android development from scratch and without any prior knowledge… so it took us a lot of time to understand and master what we were doing.”
Also, being students, Kannan, Billen and Oku had many other commitments, considerably slowing down development of the software. Eventually, a functioning application was completed in April 2013 and with a few minor updates, the application was released on Sept. 11 of this year.
So far, the app has been met with generally positive reviews.
“I like the app’s functionality but it tends to crash relatively often,” said McMaster student Jozef Bednarski.
Fellow McMaster student Claudia Aparicio said, “It looks great, really useful. It would be better if each building marker had the [building] acronym on it though, it’s hard for first-year students to navigate through the map if they don’t know the building names.” Online reviews on play.google.com and reddit.com provided similar feedback, stating that the application is practical, useful but relatively unstable.
When asked about future plans considering the application Oku said, “We plan on expanding and adding more features which will be of great use. Currently, our main issue that needs improving is our aesthetic and visual layout of the app. Also, we need to add more control over which type of markers to view based on the user’s decision. At the end of the day, we just want to enrich and improve the day to day routines and experiences on campus.”
MacPoint can be found on the Google Play store and is only currently available for Android mobile phones.
