The Pebble smartwatch may have been around for a while, but it is only with the release of Android Wear last summer, and more recently the Apple Watch, that the smartwatch is really starting to pick up steam. With Apple entering the wearable market, smartwatches have gone from being a techy “niche” gadget to something…
You and Research Would Be Best Friends
The first time you pick up a research paper in most fields, you might be bombarded by a wave of unfamiliar terms and symbols. If you pursue these terms, following paper trails, their mystery evaporates. Research shouldn’t be a particularly arcane or difficult art. The researching community also isn’t that hard to enter. So if…
Hello World, Hello University
Over the course of your degree, it will be suggested to you numerous times, or at least once if you read this article, that you learn to program. The buzz around programming and prospects of making money through software loom in the form of someone, an enthusiastic programmer or a friend just learning the Ruby…
Bioengineering at McGill: What you need to know about McGill’s next Engineering Program
Since it was founded in 2012, the Department of Bioengineering has been working tirelessly on instating its own undergraduate program. While we may not see it just yet, it is slowly advancing through numerous academic and administrative requirements and will eventually see the light of day. As Bioengineering becomes more present, a quick tour of…
What is Google doing with Hardware?
On January 13th, Google shocked the tech world by announcing that it would be purchasing Nest Labs for a staggering $ 3.2 billion. This makes Nest Google’s second most expensive company purchase to date, after the acquisition of Motorola Mobility in 2011 ($ 12.5 billion). Nest Labs is the company behind the Nest Learning Thermostat,…
A Revolution in Hardware Reviewing
Sometimes, an innocuous question can lead to a revolution. Back in the fall of 2010, Scott Wasson, one of the writers for The Tech Report (techreport.com) was talking with Ramsom Koay from Thermaltake. Koay asked a very simple question: “Why does anyone need a faster video card, so long as a cheap one will produce…
The Adblock Plus Debate
As we continue to swim in a sea of never ending content, where music, television and news are all instantaneously, effortlessly and often freely available to us, it isn’t surprising that Adblock Plus, the free service that aims to save consumers from annoying ads online, is now the world’s most popular browser plug-in, with more…
Why We Are Afraid
On August 5th, 1945 the crew of the Enola Gay ensured that the word ‘nuclear’ will always have a dark connotation. Even in today’s world, people still equate reactors to mushroom clouds. While it is indeed true that nuclear power stations have their dangers, advances mean we do not have to blindly fear this method…
Students Making McGill More Sustainable
The McGill Energy Project is an initiative that aims to promote sustainable, student-led projects. Lately, they have been making waves by involving themselves with CodeJam, an energy analysis of the RVC residence and other events on campus. The ledger sat down with MEP founder Marc-Etienne Brunet to talk about sustainability, McGill, and getting students involved…
Beat the Printing Cartel
Back in the days before I quit Reddit, I came across an interesting post about the price of printer ink. It stated that printer ink goes for $5500/L, and then compared it with various other less expensive liquids, including Chanel No. 5 perfume, which is a mere $3180/L. Another post I saw was a picture…