Category: Life

I manually added 85 posts to this blog, covering a stretch from November 2003 to March 2005.

This covers the period when I first started blogging. At that time my blog was a text file that I updated by hand on a page from my website. The web server was an old Pentium 200MHz box hidden away in my parents basement. I was using a free dynamic DNS service and the domain nxseal.com at the time.

Then in September 2004, I bought jmcardle.com and started to use some real blogging software called BBlog. I then transitioned to WordPress the following March.

I never archived my posts during these transitions. I recovered all of these by using Archive.org’s Wayback Machine. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get everything. In particular, it looks like there’s a good bit missing between February and September 2004.

Going back on what I was able to save, it looks like I was already ranting on ownership, involved in a few pranks, failing classes, working lots, navigating emotions, and I guess just being your average hacker-y/geeky teenager.

One thing is for sure: this Windows, Icon, Menus, Pointer (WIMP) paradigm we’ve been used to for our personal computing needs is going the way of the dodo.

We’ve seen with the rise of post-iPhone world the rise of intuitive software. It’s intuitive  primarily because these programs have been stripped down to their core functionality. I think ease of use was always something developers strived for, and the iOS shook up just how far one could go with that.

That simplification in my view is a positive, and I think it’s a big reason for why tablets are so quickly replacing laptops. While I’m a big fan of this paradigm, I do wonder where does that leave power users like me. We want those features they’ve been throwing out.

They’re things we need when we develop software, edit videos professionally, or do anything at a level above and beyond what a handful of controls permit. So something more intricate will need to remain behind during this evolution to address those needs, but what shape will that take? That I don’t know.

Microsoft’s solution with Windows 8 is to package in a classic desktop. That works for now, but it doesn’t seem tenable. It’s a touch-hostile interface in a world that’s seeing that become the dominant form of interaction. It’s entirely disconnected from the main product. It does some things just plain worse in how it’s integrated.

Microsoft is in an interesting place, because they’re looking to offer a unified experience whether you’re on the recently announced XBox One, a smartphone, a tablet, or a PC. That’s a great thing to strive for. None of those, except for the PC, are typically thought of as power user territory though – so I can see them not seeking to address these issues and instead continuing to bundle these two very separate experiences with their PC OS.

What appeals more on my end is the approach taken by GNOME. They’ve come up with a hybrid interface that works as well with the mouse as by touch. Meanwhile, while still adhering to the WIMP paradigm, they’ve also embraced simplicity. All their bundled applications are about doing few things and doing them well.

But while GNOME addresses the issue of having both mice and touch screens as input devices, it is not as immediately approachable as Windows 8. It may not ever, given that it’s intended for an audience with more extensive needs.

That doesn’t answer where that leaves power users that rely on Windows. Will Windows continue to be that disjointed product, where the classic desktop takes on an anachronistic place like the command prompt does today? What about Apple? Will their next desktop OS continue the WIMP paradigm?

I don’t know about Apple. They’ve more or less had the same interface since 1984. That could be seen as a quality. Meanwhile, that design is also hostile to interaction through a touch screen, and their iOS powered devices have been immensely popular. So who knows. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to create a uniform experience like Microsoft, nor would I be astonished if they kept their desktop OS solidly in WIMP territory.

I watched the news tonight, which is something I rarely do these days.

They had a piece on the Bank Street BIA, and how they wanted to clean up the place by getting rid of pawn shops, money lenders, and other undesirable businesses. It was going to go well with the new condos popping up everywhere. Fast forward to shots of people, expressing how they want to see high end shops take their place. Not a single dissenting opinion was presented.

The message is clear: poor people are not welcome here. Businesses that cater to their needs are not welcome here. Affordable housing is not welcome here.

What really bothers me is that the lower-income residents here don’t even register as people. They are being driven out of their own neighbourhoods and no one cares. Instead the focus is on how driving them away will make it more convenient for all the wealthier folk taking their homes.

It really bothers me that making areas beautiful is synonymous with this movement to remove undesirables. That’s fucked up. So is our solution to income disparity and income-related issues: ignoring it, and when we can’t, hiding it away so that we then can. It’s like that with the bylaws we passed against squeegee kids and panhandling near some entrances.

And I get that condos are naturally going to come into a downtown as our population goes up, and I get that that will instigate gentrification, and I get that there’s lots at play here. But the attitudes we take as these things happen are emblematic of how we view parts of society, and how we view those with lower incomes is with some pretty fucking bad othering.

So Ottawa won an award for being the most boring city.

Sure, the award was satirical. But the thought it expressed is hardly unique – I keep hearing from people how my town is just plain dull.

This is entirely contrary to the city I know. The city I know is a magical place that always has something going on. Right now, we have Chinatown Remixed, which sees dozens artists from all over invade Chinatown’s various eateries and shops to perform and showcase. Interested in trying new beers and seeing what the microbreweries here are up to? The Gatineau Beer Festival Festibière is on all weekend.

How about an outdoors fire spinning class? That’s on tonight over at Strathcona Park. Tomorrow of course is the Great Glebe Garage Sale. You’ll have an entire community come alive and put anything you can imagine up for grabs. It’s also race day for the Ottawa Race Weekend – go cheer them on! Have some spare time after? How about participating in a protest against Monstanto – that’s on Parliament Hill at 2PM. End your night with some karaoke over at the Shanghai, where you have the fabulous China Doll (below) join in. Or if you’re kinky, you can end the night with a bondage bananza instead. Or any numerous number of other kink events that go on here all the time. I can think of three others for this weekend alone.

Want to relax Sunday? Well how about a trip to Brewer’s Park where you can have a huge breakfast at the weekly Farmer’s Market. Everything is made fresh, and it’s all local. Or how about going to the Byward market? You’ll find it packed with people and vendors.

Then how about popping over to the Minto Park, where the Ravenswing Fair will be happening. Local artists, writers, yoga, workshops, will all be there. It’s also where the Clothesline Project will be taking place to speak out against violence against women.

Want to check out more local artists Sunday afternoon? See what’s on at the Cube Gallery, SAW Gallery, Falldown Gallery, or what the Atomic Rooster has up on its walls. Then how about a maple bacon gourmet doughnut at Suzy Q, or a burger at Hintonburger?

This isn’t even the half of what’s going on. It’s always like this, it’s always all around us. This city is alive and breathing – you just have to pay attention.

I get where the detractors are coming from – this is also a sprawling city, it’s also a wealthy city. You have lots of folks living in the quiet suburbs. The action is downtown. They only commute downtown for work, then retreat to their big screen television at home in the evening.

This city does have amenities to cater to that crowd – museums, movie theatres, malls – but it won’t compete with the likes of Montreal. If that’s what you confine your life to, then of course this city will appear boring.

But if you’re willing to leave that comfort zone, then this city offers one hell of a ride.

This last year I challenged what I deemed to be unethical behaviour by the University of Ottawa. I didn’t write about it until now for my own protection.

On a most superficial level, the issue was that tuition did not cover the cost of grading assignments. Students were instead required to pay a third party, chosen at the discretion of the professor, an exorbitant fee. If you didn’t pay this third party, you got a mark of zero.

That in itself was objectionable. Tuition should at the very least cover the cost of grading school work. Now there was a way to wave this fee, which was to spend over $200 on a new textbook. A used one wouldn’t do. Because you see, the third-party was the book publisher, and this was all part of a tactic to kill the used book market. You could either buy a used book for $140, and then spend $60 to have your assignments marked – or you could just buy a new textbook.

Of course it doesn’t cost $60 per student per semester to run a web-based automated marking system. The actual fee would be less than a single dollar. Some professors at the University of Ottawa had taken a stand against this kind of unethical relationship. They still employed automated grading systems, but their use was covered by tuition. Furthermore, those grading systems were not run by the book publishers.

So without further ado, here is the communication between myself and the University of Ottawa. Names have been removed. Below is the initial email I sent.

Hello Mr. [Dean of Science Faculty],
You appear to be the most appropriate contact for this, but please let me know if I should consult someone else.

As it stands now, tuition in my physics class does not cover the cost of grading assignments. That’s an extra fee that’s collected outside the University. This fee is collected by a company that runs the automated marking site to which these assignments are submitted (MasteringPhysics.) If I do not pay this fee, I get a mark of zero on all assignments, even if I paid tuition/incidental fees owed to Ottawa U.

It seems to me that the grading of assignments should be covered by tuition. I don’t mind paying more for tuition if it means my assignments will be graded. Is it possible that it could be made policy that tuition also cover the grading of assignments/midterms/exams?

Thank you,

Julien

That elicited the following reply.

Dear Mr. McArdle:

Thank you for your letter and for bringing this issue to my attention.  I will look into this matter and get back to you ASAP.

Regards,

Followed by another reply.

Dear Mr. McArdle,

I was forwarded your e-mail regarding your concerns over the purchase of MasteringPhysics. Actually, a professor cannot require you to purchase a software license or an access fee to a website. We can require you to purchase things such as lab coats and safety glasses to do labs and, for all intents and purposes, the nature of our exams require you to purchase a calculator so as to be able to complete them within a given time. We cannot penalize a student with a mark of zero for not buying a license or paying a website access fee. Your points are therefore extremely well taken. I agree with you.

However, a professor is within his rights to incorporate such a piece of software or a website within a course if it is academically warranted. MasteringPhysics does indeed grade your assignments, but it also offers tutorials on physics topics, interactive simulations that try to relate physics to everyday phenomena, virtual experiments, and math reviews. We use MasteringChemistry in our general chemistry course (on the English side…the French equivalent does not exist) and it really does help the students who use it more than just as a tool for submitting and grading assignments. The same applies to interactive in-class response systems (“clickers”).

So we have informed Professor [Redacted] that he cannot impose the purchase of MasteringPhysics. However, he can offer it as a choice. Therefore, the marking scheme will be adjusted so that the students have a choice:

1) They use MasteringPhysics as within the existing formula to generate a final mark

2) They do not use MasteringPhysics and the weight of the assignments is displaced to the final exam

Regardless of the choice made by a student, a final mark of 100% for the course is possible and the weighting scheme used to generate the final mark is a result of a choice made by a student.

This is actually a difficult issue that many universities are facing and with which they are now struggling, and I really do thank you for bringing this point to our attention. Academically speaking, I strongly urge you to use MasterPhysics as I would any chemistry student to use MasteringChemistry. Your name has been kept confidential, so you really are free to now make the choice that you feel is best for you.

Take care,

Professor/Professeur [Redacted]
Vice-Dean (Undergraduate Studies), Faculty of Science / Vice-doyen (Études de premier cycle), Faculté des sciences
Professor, Department of Chemistry / Professeur, Département de chimie
University of Ottawa / Université d’Ottawa

My response.

Dear Mr. [Vice-Dean],

I appreciate your in-depth response and having looked into this matter.

I agree with your assertion that a professor is entirely within their rights to call upon external resources not covered by tuition that may assist the student in learning. I view online resources to be akin to the role of textbooks in that regard.

My objection, which I believe you correctly characterized, was with students receiving a grade of zero on their assignments had they not paid this third party a fee. I was uncomfortable with the implication that tuition didn’t cover the cost of grading work, though perhaps that’s just a new reality. I greatly welcome, and am entirely satisfied with, having the option between the two weighing schemes.

Thank you for the confidentiality that was afforded to me,

Julien McArdle

As you can see, it wasn’t a full victory. If you didn’t pay the book publisher, you weren’t allowed to hand in assignments. But at least you weren’t given a mark of zero.

I’m disappointed that the University of Ottawa chooses to cooperate with book publishers to coerce students to undermine their own financial interests. It’s not just being able to buy used textbooks – it means that options like taking textbooks out from the libraries are no longer possible. It all punishes those who can afford it least. Of course there are benefits to automated grading systems, and I wholeheartedly support their use. What I object to is the abuse of that role to undermine students in something that ought to be entirely unrelated.

The appropriate response moving forward, in my mind, is to enact a policy in which book publishers and the company that runs the grading system cannot be one and the same. If you want an automated system, you’ll have to get it from someone that doesn’t have it in their financial interest to exploit that relationship.