Daanish's Days

The Presto Card!

2010-08-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

Traveling around the GTA on transit is a process of complexity and inconvenience to the users. If a person wanted to travel from a neighborhood outside of Toronto they would have to carry different types of tickets or different types of passes. They would hit Toronto's border or vice-versa they would have to reach into their purse or wallet and start looking for the appropriate change or ticket or pass for the new transit authority. This process is long and essentially broken.

Now enter the Presto Card, this card is going to solve all the problems and hassles regarding paying up to the different transit authorities. Frequent riders needed a unified system of payment and Presto was the answer from the government. Presto essentially allows riders to “Tap On” to all the transit authorities in the GTA, Hamilton, and soon, Ottawa as well.

The way the Presto card works is the card is made of durable plastic, like your credit or debit cards, and has a RFID chip that allows machines to take information from the card without needed to swipe it. It works by bringing the card close enough to the reader that it picks up your ID and subtracts your fare from your “ePurse” this allows for faster loading onto buses and trains.

Presto has also announced that it will allow users to load their Presto cards not only with money but also monthly passes. Imagine that you have your card loaded with 3 months worth of passes, no more standing in the gargantuan line ups outside of the kiosks to buy the paper version anymore. Presto also will include an automatic top up option that will allow users to connect a bank account or credit card that will automatically put money into the Presto card once it hits a specified amount of money. For example if your Presto card only has $10 left on it, and if you have the automatic top up option implemented the system will automatically load up more money into your card, with your permission. Also if you ever run low on cash and don’t have enough for a ride, but you have more then $0, then a negative charge will be incurred on Presto’s part so you don’t get stranded, for a small fee of course. All of these features in the Presto card make it a very appealing alternative for transit riders that don’t like to pay with tickets or cash or even display their passes to drivers or ticket checkers.

This type of paying system has already been implemented all around the world in much larger populace centres then the GTA. This technology was implemented in Tokyo, Japan under the name of a Suica card; in Hong Kong under the Octopus card; and in London, England under the Oyster card. A large number of other international cities are looking to upgrade to this system because it has been proven to work and easily adaptable on the users part.

For all of those people that were tired of having to juggle around tickets and passes from all the different areas can just buy a Presto card and “Tap On” to a more easier and faster ride through out the GTA.

Daanish Maan

The G8 and G20 in Toronto

2010-06-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

The G8 - G20 week started on June 20 in Toronto and Huntsville, with many events marking the start of this global conference. The G8 and G20 marks the gathering of the world leaders to discuss the problems that face the world and how they can work together to solve them. Another thing that accompanies these conferences are the large number of protestors that appear around the conference to voice their opinions about their own issues. While most of these protests are peaceful, some of them turn violent. The weekend of June 26 and 27 was a very historic couple of days. Nearly a 1000 people were arrested during the summit.

The mostly peaceful protests that started on Friday were infiltrated by anarchist groups that dressed in black and were only in the area to incite violence towards everyone and everything they could reach. The anarchist went on to smash and break a large number of store fronts and windows of many businesses on Queen Street and Yonge Street. After the police responded to the berserk anarchist crowds they continued to run through the streets throwing mail boxes and other debris onto the streets until it climaxed in the burning of a few police cruisers. The late response by the police had many in outrage on Saturday, the police responded with a heavy hand towards the rest of the peaceful protestors at the Queen’s Park area. The police believed that the suspected anarchists had hidden themselves amongst the peaceful protestors in a tactic known as Black Bloc. All the peaceful protestors were forcibly and violently removed from the Queen’s Park area by riot police. The rest of the Saturday night was filled with disturbances and heavy police presence.

The sun rising on Sunday brought with it a list of new problems. The biggest shock on Sunday was the discovery that the suspected anarchists were using the sewage tunnels to travel unhindered around the downtown core. This led to police welding manholes shut in all fenced off areas. The protest on the other hand still continued, but the police felt it was necessary to not make the same mistake they did on Saturday. When protestors gathered police presence seemed more heightened and more prone to retaliate. The police tactics had definitely changed from the last day. The usual peaceful protestors were treated almost exactly as the anarchists from Saturday. People suspected of being anarchists were searched and arrested based on suspicions as ridiculous as “was wearing black clothes”. All protests on Sunday were taken down by the police violently and unnecessarily aggressively, several journalists were also arrested and detained based on reasons as outrageous as “disturbing the peace”. The worst sights were witnessed in the night when the weather matched the mood on the streets by giving us a thunderstorm, that flooded the streets and subway stations. The police usually always gave and opening or and area where the protestors would go, but Sunday night it seemed as if they had chosen to block off hundreds of protestors and regular innocent bystanders in a “human pen” of sorts. These people were forced to stand there in the heavy rain fall as the police stood and looked on. The stand off eventually ended 2-3 hours later, but the damage had already been done. The people in the middle were not properly protected from the weather, their personal electronics were damaged because of the rain. The response from the authorities on why this event had occurred, was that they suspected many of the people in the group were donning black masks and thus they believed it was necessary to cordon of the entire group to the rest of the area.

The last couple of days was considered a “long haul” by the authorities and that the world will learn a lesson from this G20 as what not to do when hosting a global conference like this in a major global city.

Daanish Maan

The end of game renting!?

2010-05-31T17:26:00.000-07:00

I recently came upon some very delighting news. We all know that gaming is growing in all sectors, but who would have guessed that the latest industry to adopt the gaming industry would be your local LIBRARY!

My local library is now stocking video games for all console that are available for loan. They stock Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 games. Older titles are available for 7 day loans, and new and favourite titles are available for 3 days.

http://twitpic.com/1svnff

Talk to your local library, about them getting some games added to their catalogues. Hopefully this will end the preposterous prices we pay to places like blockbuster and rogers for renting games.

Comedy Central and its test of Freedom of Speech

2010-05-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

After watching the recent South Park episode I realized that even in this day an age we are held back by fear and intimidation. Every human being has a very important right in a fair and just society. That right is the freedom of speech.

When South Park featured a new two part episode in which they featured Mohammed along with a team of other religious leaders as a parody of a rag-tag group of super heroes, a character set which has been on the show many times before, they received threats from radical islamic groups based in New York. These extremists warned the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, that if they depicted Mohammed they meet the same fate as Theo Van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who made a short-documentary about violence against women in Islam and Islamic society. Theo Van Gogh was murdered by an Islamic extremist.

It seems based on this threat, Comedy Central continued to heavily censor the second part of the two part episode. The censoring involved bleeping out Mohamed’s name, his cartoon self, and what seems to be any message what so ever that seemed like it may have agitated any Muslim extremist.

This begs the question how far can freedom of speech go? The answer is, all the way, well at least in the United States. Freedom of speech is a right that allows people to voice their opinions without fear of persecution from the populace or the government. Freedom of speech is also sometimes known as freedom of expression, which allows people to voice their creative opinion in any medium or form. The argument that what if someone’s opinion, or “expression” offends someone, should they be allowed to make it. Under the law the subject under this argument has the full right to voice these opinions no matter who it offends.

In South Park’s case, if Muslims find the depiction of Mohamed offensive then they should not view such programs. When you turn on your TV and you see the “viewer discretion is advised” title, that is for you to understand that there is no such thing as “TV show producer your creativity is under discretion” well at least after 10pm. So in conclusion if people have a problem with certain media or opinion, do not view the shows, or participate in any activity that offends you, because it is not made for you. Instead of trying to change the content and going against the people that enjoy this content just do the simple thing of averting your eyes.

Life Beyond Earth - Are they really out there?

2010-04-13T15:49:00.001-07:00

Do you ever look up at the sky and wonder about the possibility of the existence of life of our own pale blue dot on the plain of unlimited space? If you do then, you aren’t far behind most of the people around you. According to a recent survey conducted by Ipsos, 1 in 5 adults surveyed in 22 different countries believe that “...aliens do exist…” Not only do they believe that aliens exist they go further and state that they also believe that the aliens are living amongst us disguised as human beings. Even though the survey does not ask about the perspective of the subject but it seems that the views are possibly linked with a social paranoia of the unknown.

Further more in the survey, India and China presented much larger numbers. 45% of Indians and 42% of the Chinese adult participants believe that aliens are amongst us. This is a much larger number then the rest of the world. There are a number of possible explanations for this. First it could be that Asia has a very strong connection in historic and spiritual context with the existence of spirits and demons and other creatures of sorts. Personally I don’t believe this to be the link to the high numbers of “believers”. A more understandable explanation could be the recent advancement of each of these nations space agencies and space endeavors.

China has already sent a human into space in their own rockets designed and built in China. This was a highly publicized event that most likely sparked the imagination of the average Chinese person. On the other hand India recently made one of the biggest discoveries about our solar system: the discovery of water on the moon. This was India first probe that was sent to the moon and it struck “gold”. Ever since that day the average Indian can only imagine the possibilities of what is coming up next. This general increase of interest with the space and exploration can be compared to the public interest of the American and Russian population during the space race of the 1960s and the 1970s.

Scientific studies tell us that the possibility of the existence of extra terrestrial is extremely possible. The idea that they are living amongst us is highly unlikely and begs the question, If an alien civilization existed that is able to travel at light speed and has developed advanced technology much greater then our own then why would they waste their resources hiding amongst us. Wouldn’t a better option be to attempt to communicate with us?

The possibility of life beyond is earth definitely exists, but it is illogical to state the specifics of how it exists and what their motives are. The possibilities are endless, they could be peaceful organisms that want nothing more then befriend us, or they might even be an irrational militaristic civilization bent on the destruction of humankind. The speculations are endless and anything can be said about them, but the only thing that we can be sure about is, if they come how will we react?

Originally Posted on Generation Next:
http://www.sagennext.com/2010/04/14/aliens-life-beyond-earth/

Opinion Piece: Why we should stop following our parents religion out of Filial Duty.

2010-03-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

Religion is a very touchy subject for some people. Now I know there are a large number of people that can’t control themselves when other people talk about their religion from a “doubtful” light, I ask those people to treat this not as a “street” argument, but a professional academic debate. Just to make a few things clear before I start, this article is not about a specific religion, but it is about all religions. This article is not a hate piece, fueled by personal or other illogical motives. Now that I have dealt with these necessary disclaimers I shouldn’t expect any hate mail, but instead I would love to receive critical and logical responses from you, the readers.

Even though I am writing about religion I’m first going to talk a bit about science and the scientific community. The world of science is filled with many theories. They are called “theories” because they cannot be proven, they can be brought to a high probability of being correct, but they are never considered fact. The scientific community understands this and they question a scientist rigorously until they fail or provide sufficient evidence that the theory becomes accepted until a better one is presented.

Now imagine a “different” world of science, where scientists don’t provide evidence to prove their theories. For example, imagine if scientists were arguing over two competing theories, that were trying to prove the same thing, but both had different explanations for it. In a real debate they would present evidence supporting their arguments and would apply logic to come to a conclusion.

But in this “different” world of science they do no such thing. Instead one scientist says, “I know my theory is correct because my father told me so, and his father before him, and so on.” The other scientist would respond, “No, my theory is correct because it was privately revealed to me to be this way!” Now I imagine you would go crazy if our scientific community acted like that, fortunately they don’t.

Now, for the real argument. What if we replaced the theories with religions and the scientists with religious followers or prophets. We can’t imagine our scientists acting like that, then why do we accept it when religious people present the validity of their religions in this manner. Are religions not theories as well, that must be proven logically and with proper evidence to support its arguments?

I’m not saying people who tend to follow religions are uneducated or unintelligent, what I’m trying to say is why the double standards?

If we have a expectations from our scientists to be logical and work intelligently, shouldn’t we expect this of our religious leaders as well? I’m not arguing against the validity of religions, but am asking you to question why you accept certain things without any reasons.

No, honoring you parents by following what they did is not a valid reason, because if you did then would you believe that the earth is the centre of everything because your parents believe it be so. Then why do we say I believe in Jehovah, Allah, or whatever you believe, just because your parents do?

Originally Posted on Generation Next:
http://www.sagennext.com/2010/04/07/following-my-parents-religion-is-a-filial-duty/

Canada Wins Gold!

2010-02-28T22:59:00.000-08:00

Canada wins Gold!

On the last day of the winter Olympics, Canada defeated the United States of America in overtime. This marked another milestone in the history of Canadian hockey. Canada now had gained both golds in men and women's hockey. Before I focus on the game a bit of history on the country’s national winter sport and pass time.

Hockey is a Canadian sport, mostly because it was created and developed in Canada, but also because there is such a large following of the sport throughout Canada. Modern day hockey was created and developed by students and sports enthusiasts in Montreal. Canadians of all ages have enjoyed this game since the late 1800s. Since those early days hockey has taken on a more important role by representing a national icon and a symbol of the people of Canada.

Now that the games are coming to a close with Canada on top with the most gold medals, many Canadians were all looking forward to the final hockey match between Canada and USA. From young to old almost everyone either follows the NHL or gather around the television every four years to watch the national teams fight for the gold medals. So when the gold medal final was a very important event for everyone.

The Olympic final was a question of skill and pride not only for the players but also for every Canadian, because the game is more than just a sport. From the instant the puck dropped to every goal, the nation’s eyes were fixed on the movements of each of the players and the movement of the puck. When the game went into overtime with a the tied score of 2-2 every Canadian was as anxious as ever, fearing the loss of the gold to the Americans. But, when Sidney Crosby flew in with the game winning goal the entire nation erupted in an explosion of celebration from the East coast all the way to the Vancouver games. Canada had won gold in it’s game.

The winter Olympic games came to an epic conclusion. Even though the games started out slow for the Canadians, they pulled back near the end and displayed a tremendous show of athleticism which a nation could be proud of. By winning the most gold medals, Canada set a new world record for it self and for the rest of the world. If I had to sum up the whole Olympic experience in a sentence it would be: Canada had won not only as a nation but as a people representing all the faces of the world.

Originally published on Generation Next:
http://www.sagennext.com/2010/03/03/canada-wins-gold/

Avatar Review

2010-01-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

James Cameron's Avatar

Verdict: 3 out of 5 stars ***

Like many of you, I had been anticipating the release of Avatar since it was announced. First of all because it is the most expensive movie ever made, secondly the movie was created using new 3D technology that blurs the rift between reality and imagination, and lastly the movie was produced and directed by James Cameron. For those of you that are not movie buffs, James Cameron is a well known director in Hollywood known mostly for his movies that take special effects to the limit. He is mostly famous for his previous blockbusters such as, Titanic, Terminator 1 and 2, and Aliens.

First things first, Avatar was created to be a showcase of the special effects technology that was created by James Cameron for Avatar. If you are planning to go watch this movie (which you most likely are) expect to be blown away by the realism of the alien-world known as Pandora, but don’t expect to be drawn away by the story.

The story of Avatar can be rounded down to a “Pocahantes” with aliens instead of natives. The movie’s plot rolls around the similar age old story of xenophobia and misunderstanding resulting in war. The film features a paraplegic ex-marine who is sent to Pandora to fill in for his dead brother in a mission that leads to him puts him in a position where he must either follow orders or protect the aliens he has come to call his own.

Other than the fact that this movie is basically “Dances with Wolves” in space, it is is a special effects spectacle like no other science fiction movie ever made. When you put on the 3D glasses (if you are watching it in 3D, which you should be) you will become enveloped in a world filled with wonderful creatures, shiny and lethal machines, and extremely realistic aliens. Another plus in Avatar is that the cast of the film is composed of sci-fi veterans and big names, such Sigourney Weaver from the Aliens series, Sam Worthington from Terminator Salvation, and Zoe Saldana from Star Trek. This cast was the first of its kind to act out complete scenes dressed up as their cgi characters using their own movements and their own likeness, by James Cameron’s face imaging technology and “Virtual cameras”. So all the aliens you see in the movie are actually modeled onto the actors themselves, your not watching some puppets being voiced by actors but the actors them selves dressing up in a sort of “digital” costume.

Now if you look past the special effects and the slightly stale story line, Avatar is far from being a masterpiece, instead it is a first in a new wave of movies that will soon take over movie theaters and eventually our hearts. Movies like this will become a standard with in the coming years and we can expect to eventually reach a point where we will literally be watching holograms coming out of the screens.

My final Verdict: Avatar is no masterpiece, but it is something that has set a new standard and will be remembered for its special effects and not for the story.

Originally published on Generation Next:
http://www.sagennext.com/2010/01/07/avatar-far-from-being-a-masterpiece/