A FORUM FOR ENGINEERING CONCEPTS

JULY 1985
HP DONATES PORTABLES
Monica Markovicci
On July 4th Hewlett-Packard an-
nounced they will donate 300 HP Port-
able Plus computers,valued in excessof$l
million, to the University. This equip-
ment is expected to stimulate educational
experiments at the University and soft-
ware development.
The Portable Plus is designed for
mobile professionals featuring port-
ability, reliability and ease of use. As
described in an HP news release, the users
can run the software they need byusingthe
popular MS DOS operating system.
Memory is expandable up to 890 kilo-
bytes of RAM; and software is available
through plug in cartridges and or disc
media. The 9 pound lap-top sports the
same screen as desktop personal com-
puters and provides remote access to other
computer systems through an optional,
built-in modem.
Dr. Don Cowan, a UW CS professor
explained that the first group to make use
of the lap-tops will be a computer science
The Portable Plus shown here with a rrintt:T
class of 30 beginning next fall. The group
will be split evenly into Portable Plus users
and non-users in order to assess their ef-
fectiveness as an educational aid. The rest
of the machines will be made available in
Jan. 86 and will be introduced in a similar
manner to science, kinesiology and eng-
ineering classes.
Dr. Cowan drew a parallel to pocket
calculators, stating "Once students found
out how useful they were, they willingly
bought their own." With a current price
tag of $3660 this does not seem too likely.
However, reliable sources expect that the
portable will be available to students for
about $1500.
"They (lap-tops) could represent the
beginning of a whole new era of computer
use," states UW president Doug Wright.
The full impact of the machine is still un-
certain. What is certain is that Waterloo is
making a commitment to providing, and
to experimenting with, new technology.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Morals of Genetic Engineering ................................... 5
Toronto Star's Critique of UW ................................... 7
ICR Progress ............................................................ 8
Digital Audio Discs ................................................... 9
2
mON WARRIOR JULY 1985
FROM THE DEAN'S DESK
)
/
!
A recent issue of The Iron Warrior
focused onquestionsand issues involving
the quality of instruction in engineering. r
want to state upfront that the instruction
of both u ndergrad ua tes and grad ua tes is a
top priority in this faculty. I sincerely
believe that nearly all faculty share this
view. That is not to say that we are not
committed to research - we are -
Waterloo is recognized as one of Canada's
top engineering research schools.
It is interesting to note that, in the
U.S.A., where they actually rank engin-
eering schools in terms of undergraduate
education, all of the programs in the top
ten, except one, are strong research
schools. There is a strong correlation
between quality in research and quality in
educational programs. A recent article in
the Globe and Mail pointed out that of all
the programs contacted, the 1985 Water-
loo engineering grads have the highest
placement rate. Industry clearly is
interested in Waterloo graduates. Itisalso
clear that co-op is one of the main reasons
for this. Two years of working in the "real
world" are seen as providing some
components of the "skill set" that
employers desire.
A number of activities are taking place
or will take place which clearly will impact
positively on the teaching environment.
Engineering Lecture Hall
The first floor will be renovated to
improve line-of-sight to black-
boards. The acoustics and lighting
will be improved and much of the
furniture will be replaced. Thetotal
cost is close to $300,000, which has
been donated by Imperial Oil.
A teaching assistant workshop will
be set up at the beginning of the faU
term in order to help prepare new
teaching assistants.
We have set up the EERC- Engin-
eering Education Research Centre
- to do development work on
educational software. These facilit-
ies are available for special student
projects.
EDITORIAL
After reading the article, 'Whiz Kids
Have No Fun', I was truly disappointed
with the Toronto Star. At the expense of
.f the truth, the author maintained the
theme that the cost of success is a social
nightmare. Unfortunately those who have
never experienced life at UW(particularly
potential students) will believe that this
article is true. Personally, I would not like
to go to the school described by the Star.
In this issue, we have reprinted the
article from the Star. If you wish to write a
letter to the editor, the address is:
Toronto Star.
Letter to the Editor,
I Yonge St.,
Toronto, Ont.
M5E IE6
In closing I would like to sincerely
thank aLI those people who made the Iron
Warrior possible this term.
We are in the process of a major
review of our Year One program.
Hewlett Packard has made a major
gift - $150,000 - worth of lab
equipment - H.P. 64000 Logic
Development System. This is the
first major donation dedicated
totally for undergraduate instruc-
tion.
In addition to the above, nearly all of
the research labs are open and students are
invited to visit and ask questions
regarding the activities of the labs. It is one
way of finding out just what goes on in
these facilities.
Regards,
W. C. Lennox,
Dean of Engineering
The Editors: Eric Nordin and Gord Strachan
'. I
IRON WARRIOR STAFF
EDITORS
Eric Nordin
Gordon Strachan
WRITERS
Paul Bauman
Michelle Chin
Monica Markovicci
Rudy Mul inary
Steve Pitkanen
Tracy Renaud
LAYOUT
Audrey Chin
Peter
Eric r.
Gord Stra(:r..<!!l
The IRON WARRIOR is a publication of the Engineering Society at the University of
Waterloo. Its purpose is to promote professional awareness within the Engineering
Faculty and to inform Engineers of the society activities.
PHOTOGRAPHERS STAFF HELP
Peter Musgrave
Eric Nordin
Alan McCann
Mailing Address:
Iron Warrior
c/o Eng. Soc. A
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
JULY 1985
IRON WARRIOR
Message from the President
(Short but sweet)
In examining the world market place
two major conclusions can be drawn
about successful companies. The first is
that they tend to be situated in countries
that pursue democracy and free enter-
prise. The other distinguishing feature is
their ability to excell at product differen-
tiation in comparison with their com-
petition. In the market place differen-
tiation is everywhere. Everybody whether
producer, fabricator, seller, broker,
agent, or merchant, engages in a constant
effort to distinguish his offerings from all
others.
These factors that I have outlined for
business ventures are equally applicable
to the educational arena. Schools that are
renowned leaders in business, science and
the arts are usually situated in democratic,
competition-oriented countries. Univer-
sit.ies that are recognized as leaders have
excelled because of the ecuational oppor-
tunities they have offered to students. It is
precisely this ability to differentiate their
services in the minds of prospective
students that has resulted in their success.
One obvious example of such a
University is our own. Althougha relative
newcomer, it has established itself as a
leader in the engineering, math and
computer fiel,?s of study. As a result, ithas
witnessed tremendous growth and pop-
ularity. The ability of the founders of the
University to intuitively apply the prin-
ciples of product differentiation is what
has made this university so successful. In
my estimation, Waterloo will continue to
grow in both physical size and prestige as it
adapts and finds creative and unique
solutions to the challenges of the future.
From the VP's Desk
As the term draws to a close (most
would say thankfully), I find mys If pon-
dering the Eng. Soc. events of the past
three months. Which were SlICCCS. es'l
Which were failures? How could we have
improved? Being in the position I am, it's
difficult to objectively consider the 'e
questions. However, I realize it is
important that we learn from our mi stakes
and build on our successes.
Certainly, Engineering Week will not
again be so precariously scheduled in the
middle of midterms; hopefully we'll have
the blotter printed before the first month's
information becomes obsolete; and yes,
we'll try to publicize events a little earlier
next winter. Certainly we made some
mistakes, and I know there are areas
needing improvement. However, I'd like
to commend the Engineering Society
directors of summer '85 for all the
successes they helped bring about. The
First Annual Tuition Lottery was a huge
success, the Phone-a-thon raised record
amounts and we had a number of new and
different events this term. However. our
summer school term is almost over, and
before being caughtupin the whirl wind of
exams. Eng. Soc. is trying to prepare for
next winter.
Currently, we are choosing directors for
next term. The list of positions available
includes: Enginews, Iron Wrrior, adver-
tising, pUblicity. special events. social,
P**S, course critiques, C&D manager,
C&D assistant, POETS, 2nd vice-
president, off-term rep., speaker. ath-
letics, debates. hard hat band. stage band,
garage, photography, office manager,
newsletter, alumni affairs and bus pusl)..
3
Directors hold appointed positions and
arc each responsihl for theIr own speCIfic
a rca of the b1g1 nee Ii Ilg SOClct y. Although
some e ~ t r tlllle is r '<{lIlred, being a
director is usually fun and rewarding. If
you're interested. applicatiuns and infor-
mution are in the Orifice. If you've got
questions, don't hesitate to ask to speak to
any of the current directors or executive
about the detail s of a position. Appli-
cations are due by Wednesday. July 17 at
4:00, in the Orifice.
As well as planning for the school term,
a number of events will occur during the
work term. Perhaps most importantly,
Eng. Soc. will be sending delegates to three
Engineering conferences. These confer-
ences include the APEO conference, the
RESSA (Registered Engineering Soc-
ieties) conference and CCES (Congress of
Canadian Engineering Students). All of
these conferences cover up to date tech-
nical and social themes, not to mention the
odd pub crawl. or "nautical event". If
you're interested in attending a con-
ference, or feel you've got something
special to contribute, fill out an appli-
cation in the Orifice and let us know why.
Applications are due by the end of term.
To finish on a positive note, thanks to
all who came out and participated.
Without you, Eng. Soc. events could never
happen. Good luck on exams, enjoy your
holidays, and have a super work term!
K.I.
4
The Federation of Students has been
focusing on several student issues that
have arisen over the past few months.
Some issues affect us, as engineering
students, some do not. Nevertheless, I
would like to give you a feeling for the
current concerns the Feds have been
dealing with. I hope this article will
broaden your awareness of on-campus
developments.
The issue which hits closest to home is
the compulsory computer fee we will be
paying when we return in January. The
fees, which leave no faculty exempt,
received final approval at the Board of
Governors (B.O.G.}meetingheld on June
4. For Engineering students, this means
that an extra $100 will be added to the cost
of tuition. One of the initial concerns
about the fees was that they would not be
tax deductible. However, due to the
lobbying of Federation President Sonny
Flanagan and the presence of over 80
Dear Iron Warrior,
The article in our June 1985 edition was
entitled "Amateur Road Racing in
Canada" was written by Hebert
(BASe 84, MASc 85) a graduate studentin
electrical engineering.
is spending the summer at
Fairchild Instruments, Paio Alto, CAL,
so I have a correction to make on his
behalf. The governing body for road
racing in Canada is the Canadian Auto
Sport Club (CAS C). I believe their
address is as given in the article, 5385
Yonge St., Suite 203, Willowdale, Onto
M2N 5R7.
Thank you for printing this interesting
article.
Louise Mallory
Graduate Student
Mechanical Engineering
I was appalled with Jack Cahill'sarticle
of June 29 entitled "Whiz Kids at
Computers wlo Any Time for Fun".
Being a 3rd year student at the U of
Waterloo, I must set some facts straight
and bring to light many of the aspects of
UW that Cahill obviously overlooked.
To begin with. the underlying theme of
Cahill's article the lack of spirit among
the students and their deficiency for
having fun. He points out the "rare"
dancing in Federation (not CONfeder-
ation!) Hall afld the 4 AM computer
pounding, the spare time stress clas es and
lack of loyalty to classes and faculties.
What truly amazes me is the fact tha t there
is no mention of the fun that really does go
on both on campus and off, obviously
overlooked by Cahill.
Cahill is not entirely wrong in his views
of UW. It is true that UW has a certain
"efficient" and "businesslike" campus
and that there is a constant feeling of
IRON WARRIOR
Fed Council Notes
concerned students at the June 4 meeting,
the B.O.G. promised that the fees would
be tax deductible.
The Integrated Studies(I.S.)program is
undergoing more than change in name
this year (it is now called "Independent
Studies"). Most ofthe academic structure
of the program has been retained.
However, control over admissions, bud-
get and allocation of space and resources,
which were once powers held by 1.S.
students alone, now lie in the hands of
several committees comprised of LS.
facuIty, administrative personnel and'
students. These student powers were
revoked due to misuse and abuse of these
same privileges.
To add to the I.S. turmoil, two I.S.
students were arrested for trespassing last
winter. The first student was charged
when he elected to return to campus after
being banned from campus for one year
resulting from alleged discordant be-
haviour while he was not a registered
student. He was convicted and is
appealing. The second student was
ordered to leave I.S. property when it was
believed he was using LS. resources while
not having registered that term. He
refused to leave and was arrested for tres-
passing. He was acquitted last month. The
Feds chose to recognize them as valid U. of
W. students since they were registered
during the previous two terms and decided
to fund the cost of alllegaJ fees for both
students.
An issue which Engineering students
might find more interesting is the future
renovation of the Bombshelter. A ques-
tionnaire was circulated via the last
Imprint issue to determin what changes
students would like. The results of this
questionnaire indicated that most
students would prefer a quiet atmosphere
similar to an English pub.
A new student housing project is in the
Letters to the Editor
competitIOn in the air. However, more
must be said about the type of institution
at hand and the rea ons behind these
attributes. After all, one does not peak of
a $30,000 car without substantiating it.
Since Day one, University of Waterloo
has been following a mandate to produce
professionals that are experienced. All too
often is told the story of the University
graduate who can't get a job because he
has no real experience and can't get
experience 'because he has no job. Thus
was born the co-op educational system. It
seems ironic that the Bovey Commission
concludes:
"Graduates capable of working at
the forefront of knowledge-inten-
sive areas, such as in advanced tech-
. no logy and in the social and health
sciences, will be crucial to the long
term health of Ontario and of
Canada, and Universities must meet
this need." (Bovey Report,
Sect. 3.2.4, Dec. 1984)
This capabi lity of working, or as some
view it, adaptibility, is what co-op is all
about.
There are very few, ifany, students who
would rather get out a year early and give
up the job experience ga ined through the
co-op system. Not only can they afford to
put themse'lves through University, but
different fields of their disciplines can be
experienced in hopes of broadening the
scope of their available directions.
Another Bovey recommendation states
that Universities must design programs
"Aimed at producing graduates who will
be adaptable throughout their lifetimes
and who will understand their OWn
specialties within a wider context and in
relation to new technological develop-
ments." (Bovey Report, Recommen-
dation 14, Dec. 1984).
One of the consequences of this
university'S program is that Waterloo
students work very hard. This dedication
is not the result of wanting to be the top of
the class, but is a result of the individual's
drive for personal excellence. Waterloo
does not cut off a certain percentage of
students, creating the competition to be
better than another student. Instead of
competing against fellow students, stu-
dents will work together to solve
problems, and help each other in
numerous ways.
The only "competition" is between the
students themselves and their courses, and
this is why Waterloo has such a high
reputation for producing excellent grad-
uates.
In this age of information and tech-
nology, computers have become "tools of
the professional trade". Being on the
practical side, the University of Waterloo
uses computers to the full extent of their
capabilities. As an offshoot of the
industrial ties between Waterloo com-
panies such as IBM and DEC have
donated over $25 million in computer
equipment. They have contributed to the
abundance of equipment without which
Waterloo could not remain at the fore-
front of technology. In fact, at this
university, the availability of computers
has all but eliminated the 10i1g lineups for
computer terminals experienced at other
universities. By the way, 4 AM computer
all-nighters arenol an everyday activity,
Cahill sugggests!
The most di turbing vision of Water-
loo's students suggested by Cahill's
article, is that of the lack of spiri t and fun
loving. I can say from experience that the
University of Waterloo does have spirit,
perhaps not a 100 year old "traditional"
spirit, but one shaped by a strong sense of
pride.
Take Federation Hall for example. This
"rare happening" as Cahill suggests has
been filled to capacity by students almost
every Friday and Saturday night since it
opened in early 1985. During the first 4
JULY 1985
works. The current plans are to build 50
University-run townhouse units just west
of Columbia Lake to be completed, hope-
fully, by September 1986. Each unit is
expected to house 4 students.
I hope these brief notes will spark
engineering student interest in campus
wide issues. All students are part of the
Feds. This means that most Fed
committees, such as the Bombshelter
Renovation Committee, and all Student
Council meetings are completely open to
any student wishing to attend. If you are
interested in learning more about the
Feds, sitting on committees or attending
Council meetings, contact any of the three
Engineering Reps on Fed Council (Steve
Pitkanen, Todd Crick and Michelle
Dundas) or leave a note in the Feder-
ation of Students Council box in the
Orifice. If you want your voice to be heard,
the opportunity is there.
months of 1985 (when 75% of the students
are on campus), entry into Fed Hall was
almost impossible after 9:00 p.m. and
tickets sold out days before. Even now,
with 25% of the students on campus for
the summer, Fed Hall fills quickly. And,
Fed Hall is fully funded by the student
body!
From what other University, can about
40 students, on vacation across Europe,
meet in a pre-arranged bar in Munich to
celebrate Canada Day - proud to be
Canadian, proud to be from Waterloo.
This was an offshoot of the famous
W ATPUB in which hundreds of students,
working in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal,
and Calgary, meet each Wednesday
during a work term to dance and break up
the mid-week blues at pubs across the
towns.
Class and faculty spirit is also alive and
well, as shown by the recent Engineering
Week activities, where groups from
various classes can be seen golfing
through the halls, racing homemade
chariots and rafts, enjoing daylong
baseball tournaments and parading
throughout the campus, proud to be
University of Waterloo engineers.
Perhaps I speak from experience only as
an engineering student. Perhaps I have
been lucky. But the variety of students at
such , events as W A TPUBS or Fed Hall
Concerts seems to point to many UW
Faculties. It is indeed a pity that many
students will be scared offby Jack Cahill's
article, seemingly dwelling on the purely
technical and industrial side of this fine
institution.
A. Frank
2nd VP - Eng Soc
EE 87 - Eogeneric and proud of it!
JULY 1985
IRON WARRIOR
Genetic Engineering:
Report from
Its Moral Impact
CWEST
By seeking to transcend our nature,
we may fallfar below it. By seeking to
rebuild evolution, we may spoil the
fruit of previous evolution. Creatures
of human shape might survive, but
human beings might become extinct.
- David Lygre
by Michele Chin
"Genetic engineering is a whole new
technology: an enormous, powerful tech-
nology which will give us the ability to
reconstruct living forces to human
purpose." Science has come upon the _
ultimate discovery, whereby man has been
given the power to manipulate the very
stuff of life. It contains possibilities that
could save the world but, it also contains
selfish purposes that could destroy it.
Questions have arisen since the appear-
ance of this relatively new field of medical
science, and so some temporary guidelines
and permanent solutions for dealing with
these controversial situations are needed.
Though many of the moral questions are
not new, the science to which the questions
are being addressed certainly is. It is
expected that what can eventually bedone
most inevitably will. Therefore, the
morality of genetic engineering must
proportionately speed up, and until such a
time, the most strict precautions both in
the decision making and the laboratory
model persons. These traits could depict
irrational values that could be subject to
change as readily as 'fads'. Sexual in-
equality would be reinforced if it was
possible to choose the 'desired' sex.
Genetic engineering can be commercially
exploited to meet public demand and ever
changing values.
Much of this is pure speculation, as the
....
enforced.
Research in genetic engineering was
inspired not only by man's continuing
search for his place in the universe, butas a
result of the foreseeable benefits it could
offer to mankind. Scientifically, genetic
engineering is new and exciting, and of
intriguing and almost irresistible appeal.
Presently, the focal point of genetic
engineering is its medical applications.
Besides advancing the knowledge and
techniques of medical science, genetic
engineering is being used to eradicate
genetically inherent diseases, find cures to
many cellular disorders and alleviate
human suffering. The production of
enough synthetic insulin, antibiotics,
growth hormoes and other medications in
commercial quantities is now possible and
less expensive. When the prospect of
cloning does in fact become a reality, as no
doubt it eventually shall, the medical
dilemma offinding an organ to transplant
with possibilities of bodily rejection will
be eliminated. Also, the chances of mixing
"Bad genes" in natural reproductive
cycles will be greatly reduced.
Genetic engineering can also be applied
to pollution control, agricultural needs
and environmental repair. Man could be
master of the world's genetic destiny. His
propulsion into a Utopian future provides
an alternative to the "slow and mindless"
process of evolution. The potential good
of this technology is limited only by man's
imagination.
Man is presently in an unstable,
transitional era, where one false move
using his newly found genetic powers
could mean disaster. The possible uses of
genetic engineering include the exploi-
tation of man himself. The latest
controversy is 'made-to-order humans',
each carefully pre-selected to fit what one
man or group of men see as perfect or
foreseen. "The greatest biohazard is our
lack of knowledge." The consequences
and potential dangers of genetic en-
gineering when exploited by man could
result in his own demise.
Genetic engineering could be dubbed
the proverbial "two-edged sword" that
holds great promise but also potential
dangers. It therefore raises many ques-
tions and concerns. Moralists worry that
genetic engineering has a 'snowballing'
effect, which once started cannot be
stopped. They also feel that scientists are
really not accountable to anyone except to
other 'mad' scientists. The specific
purposes for which genes are altered are
unclear, as is the person orgruopofpeople
who have the 'God-like' wisdom to
decide, control and choose 'superior
features'. Possibly the most difficult
question to answer, with respect to man's
limited knowledge at this time, is where to
'draw the line'. Where do net benefits
cease to exist and exploitation of nature
begin? Genetic engineering and its
consequences affect all of the moral,
ethical and scientfic faculties of society,
thus the pressing need to address the
issues.
Decisions that discern the extent of
genetic manipUlation must be made soon.
Many believe that well enough should be
left alone, or maybe the most pressing
problems be investigated. However, this
rather passive attitude will not satisfy even
the least ambitious scientist. Though the
majority of geneticists would not exceed
the moral limits some researchers might.
Prohibition is not a permanet solution. To
reduce the chances of disaster, strict
precautions must be enforced, stipulaJing
the most exacting outlines of biological
and physical containment. This prudent
approach must be taken until man can
understand more about the complicated
-.--
- -."..
by Barbara Adey
At the end of May t he third Convention
of Women in Engineering, Science and
Technology was held in Ottawa-Hull. It
was attended by roughly four hundred
people, mostly women, from a variety of
scientific and technological institutions
and corporations. Engineering Society A
was represented by myself and Ruth
Dolan.
The conference consisted oftwo days of
presentations from both men and women
in a range of topics from highly tech-
nological subjects to discussions of issues
in management and women's issues. there
in management and women's issues.
There were addresses from such well-
known individuals as Roberta Bondar, a
neuro-scientist and one of Canada 's space
shuttle astronauts, and from Stuart
Smith, chairman ofthe Science Council of
Canada. On the technical side, there were
presentations on computer applications,
biotechnology and robotics. As well, the
code of life. Safer alternatives must be progress of women in the non-traditional
chosen over less certain ones. The fields represented at the conference was
guidelines governing scientific work must examined.
be made by men of both scientific and The mood of the conference was re-
ethical standing and must be acceptable to freshingly objective: I had half-expected
society. These fair and equitable decision- to find myself in a group of women who
makers could comprise a "scientific were concerned more with feminism than
branch" of government. In this way, with their areas of technical expertise.
scientists would be accountable to their However, I found myself among very
aoc:iotJ. ... H .
"what can be done, will bedone"; it is only were genuinely interested in techno fogy as
a matter of time. It is primarily a question well as the hope that women will not be
of how it can be done both safely no harred from auvancement in field.
morally. These solutions provide a base 'J he drawn by the con-
upon which to support future under- fcrence were us follows. there has-
takings. ically no left .it t he entry level
Genetic engineering is the final fronlier from university into industry for wOlllcn
of world technOlogy, requiring a genetic with science ur engineering trailllng.
code of ethics, not the cloudy moral However, their progress to the upper
dilemma facing most scientists today. It i echelons of powcr in both corporations
only through strict guidelines that the and re earch institutions stillIngs behind
advantages can be fully appreciated and that of their male counterparts. Also, the
the detrimental effects minimized. It problem faced by career women who also
cannot be avoided. Science has proved want to htlvc a family are still a very
time and time again that it is "not science pressing concern.
and technology as such which will imperil I enjoyed theconference immensely and
man, but their disconnection from moral learned a great deal. As well, I met a
standards." number of engineering students from
The marriage between genetic engin- other universities across Canada.
eering and related morality must be kept
intact if man is to survive into the next

FOR [LERn
[L05E
[OmFORTRBLE
HOU5/fie
CALL SAM THE
aCCOMMODATION ttLN
576-8818
5
6
mON WARRIOR
JULY 1985
PLUMBERS FORUM
What was your impression of the article, "Whiz Kids Have No Fun"?
Journalists who do not properly research
articles are a menace to the profession.
David Charette 3A Mech
We've got lots of spirit, just look at
engineering week.
Rob Gulbronson 3A Chem
rt1J HALL If
" "
Doesn't paint an accurate picture of UW
(there are other faculties besides Ma th and
Eng.)

The article was factual, however neg-
atively slanted. It misrepresented UW,
where Fed Hall is a popular place.
Tracey Renaud IB Mech
I felt that Cahill's portrayal of UW was
inaccurate. He made the place sound like a
trade s,chool.
Barbara Adey IB Sys
The article gave an impressive view ofUW
from a business viewpoint, but missed out
on the personal and social profiles of
students.
Steve Bock 3A Sys
(\) EATON'S TRAVEL II
Travelling This Sum mer?
Come See Us For All Your Travel Needs
We're fully and appointed by ALL airlines.
cruise companies. car rental operators. hotel chains ...
alilhe people who provide the services you need!
WE SELL GREY COACH
AND VIA RAIL TICKETS
888- 4054
EATO!,rS TRAVEL in the SoutbCampus Hall
TRAVEL ON YOUR EATON'S ACCOUNT
JULY 1985 IRON WARRIOR 7
Whiz Kids Have No Fun
While most Ontario universities insist
they exist mainly to improve the student's
mind, to teach young people to think for
themselves and to challenge conventional
thought, there's not much of that airy-
fairy stuff on the neat, orderly, efficient,
cold, businesslike, somewhat overcrow-
ded campus of the UniversityofWaterloo.
At Waterloo, they say the hell with such
an outdated educational philosophy, it'sa
tough, commercial world out there and
kids have to learn to hustle if they want to
make a buck in it. You don't have to be
broadly intelligent to survive in this scary
world, but you've got to learn to sell
yourself. This is the philosophy of the
University of Waterloo.
Consequently its campus is a go-go-go
place where you pund the computer at 4
a.m. to catch up with your classes. And
your classes are constant because the
competition with other students is tough
too. Thisisa "half the world will be outof
work because of high technology in a few
years time, but it's not going to be me"
university and the stress and strain of it all
shows.
There are constant classes but in
'another way the place is classless. There's
none of the elitism of Queen's or the
country-club atmosphere of Western.
grown rich. One of the more successful
was started by second year dropouts.
When their class graduated they em-
ployed the top two students.
This is a university like noother in thalit
was not founded by the provincial
government, a church or other cultural
institution, but by a group of industrialists
and businessmen. It was the brainchild of
people like Ira G. Needles, who was
president of the B.F. Goodrich Co.,J. G.
(Gerry) Hagey, an adverti ing executive
with Goodrich, and the late Carl A.
Pollock, of Electrohome Ltd. They
looked into the future and correctly
decided that Canada would need a big
supply of people with high technological
skills in the coming decades. And they
started an engineering school at Waterloo
in July 1957 with 75 students.
"Dear John" letters are endemic. Lone-
liness is one of Waterloo' big lessons.
"We get to be expert on moving and
I'm tired of it," said Laurie Law on,21,a
chemical engineering student wftb is vice-
president of the ociety.
"We're being pushed really hard here,"
she added. "There's sucn a high calibre of
student (admission to Waterloo u ually
require high school grades from the high
70s up to the 90s , with the average in the
80s). There's pressure on us all the time. I
mean, we're expected to perform pretty
well from day one to get one of the good
co-op jobs. What's good about it is the
sky's the limit. There are lots of jobs and a
wide variety of them available. You learn
an awful lot on thejob and it's good to see
the things you learn at lectures take
meaning. We learn the attitudes of people
all the way up in a company. We learn
interpersonal skills. We become pretty
realistic. I wouldn't trade my work terms
for the opportunity to go to a university
that has traditions."
"People recognize Waterloo as a very
good school and we will be proud to have
come from it," said Al McGowan,
president of the Engineers' Society. "But
there's not a lot of encouragement to
really love it and not a lot of spare time to
really think about it."
This lack of university spirit shows in a
student union vote of about 20 per cent
and small attendances at most sporting
events except basketball at which Water-
loo excels. There have not been many
social activities in the past, but the Student
Federation, sen ing the need, has recently
built the biggest and probably the best-
equipped tudent pub on any Canadian
campus at a co t over $2 million. It's
starting to bringstudentsfrom all faculties
together.
"This university has become so groun-
ded in the philo ophy of applying your-
self and getting on and getting a job that it
seems to downplay all other aspects," said
George Eliott Clark, former editor of the
campus newspaper, Imprint. "It doesn't
teach you to be happy. It teaches you how
to sell yourself. I'm not denigrating that ,
but it shouldn't happen to the detriment of
the other things in life ... You're not
taught to think and criticize. Only a
minority of professors practice that sort of
thing. Mostly it's a factory system. You're
in and you're out."
This theme seems almost unanimous
among Waterloo students but there are
now obvious pressures within the univer-
sity administration to alleviate it and
make Waterloo at least a little like the
others.
Here, instead, there'safairbitofcrass,a
sprinkle of brash and a lot of drive and
insecurity. The kids come from across the
Now, in less than 30 years, it is the third
biggest university in Ontario and eighth
biggest in Canada. Its maths faculty (over
3,500 students) is the world's biggest,
beating a Soviet institution into second
place. It also produces half of Canada's
new English-speaking actuaries. Sales of
computer software programs produced at
Waterloo generate $2 million a year on
royalties, more than Stanford University
and the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) combined. It has more
research contracts with industry than any
other Canadian university. Its co-op
program, in which students study for four
months then work for the next four,
1m " 0 mone a wellasex erience, Reprinted with permission - Toronto Star Syndicate
L .... ...... ... co-op system In':'" ...
class to rich, from ancient Canadian and
North Amerl'ca, only marginally behind
new immigrant families, the only common
North-eastern University in Boston, and
denominator being their brightness. Here
you see lineups of kids in panty hose and it's rapidly being copied by other univer-
sities across Canada.
three-piece suits (on the appropriate
sexes), looking their best, waiting for job
interviews with middle managers who are
gods; kids who can talk computerese but
are too busy to read a novel; who, in their
spare time to go to classes on how to
handle stress, conservative kids who are
going to be commercial successes if it kills
them. Waterloo is the university for
Yuppies.
Me first
There's not much joy to all of this and
there's not much spirit either on a campus
where the first loyalty is to "me" and a
hopefully prosperous future, rather than
to a faculty, a fraternity, a class, a college
or the university itself.
Only a small minority of students
(about 800) belong to the four church-
related colleges affiliated with the univer-
sity and only a small percentage of
students (about 4,000 of 25,000) live in
residence. The rest commute from the
local community or even the 50 miles (80
kilometers) from Toronto.
Still, the University of Waterloo is
'wildly successful at producing successes.
Its campus is circled by little businesses
started by students or graduates who
combined computer science with entre-
preneurship, both major disciplines at
UW. Some of the li.tUe businesses have
grown big and some of the graduates have
More than half of UW's full-time
students are enrolled in the co-op program
and almost all of them get jobs with the
help of 36 professional co-ordinators,
who advise the students and aetas a liaison
between them and industry. Over 1,100
employers in every Canadian province
and across the world participate in the
plan, some using only one student at a
time, but others up to 200. Most
employers alternate students every four
months, thus securing the equivalent of
one full-time employee.
The system has many advantages. The
students experience practical applicat-
ions of their professorial lectures and they
mature quickly with their experience in
the workplace. They learn what sort of a
job' they want and what sort they don't
want. They get a foot in the door of the
workplace. And the businesses profit
from new ideas and learn which students
will be compatible with them after grad-
uation.
There are also human disadvantages.
The system gives Waterloo its nickname
of "the suitcase university". Its students
are constantly on the move, usually from a
shared, rented house in Waterloo,
perhaps home to Toronto at the
weekends, then maybe off t Alberta and
another shared apartment or boarding
house for the four-month work period.
There's little chance of keeping friends.
; - .

I.

. .'
. .r' /
I.. .... "
, -.
F"lliton Fashions INC
Summer Savings
on
FUTONS ........................... AII Cot!"n
Comfurtable
Porlable
Vers:ltile
Up to 20% OfF until Aug. 10/85
"ith !oludcltt 1.0.
SINGLE .................................. $99
DOUBLE .............................. $129
QUEEN ........... ..................... $129
QUEEN ................................ $139
(l>tandard 8 in. thickness)
Plus Free futon Delivery in K-W
8 IRON WARRIOR
JULY 1985
The Drawbacks of Compact Discs
The following article was original'" printed in the March 1985 issue of Iron Warrior.
The article In Defense of Compact Disks is in responce to this article.
by Wes HeaJd
There is currently much dis-
cussion on the perfection of digital
audio and specifically the perfection of
the new Compact Disc format. While
most people agree CD's sound better
than most analog systems, many dis-
criminating audiophiles prefer analog
discs when played on a good quality
turntable with a high quality cartridge.
, The most obvious improvement
in sound quality is the increase in sig-
nal to noise ratio. CD players consis-
tently have SIN ratios above 90 dB.
Audiophile analog discs sometimes
have SIN ratios approaching 65 dB,
but most discs and turntables supply a
SIN ratio of about 50-60 dB. CD's
are also not susceptible to noise and
vibration picked ,up from the playback
environment and consistently provide
the best sound they are capable of
under most conditions.
However, the CD system is not
perfect. The problem is that distortion
can be high in the higher frequencies.
To find the reasons for this the CD
format must be examined. Digital
recording works by sampling the analog
wave form and recording the sampled
voltage in binary. Usually 16 bits are
available on each channel for each
sample. One bit is used for a parity
check by the error detection system
leaving 15 bits available for quantiza-
tion.
The CD format uses a sam-
pling frequency of 44. 1 kHz. This
means that the system samples the
analog voltage every 0.00002 sec. and
finds the best 15 bit binary number to
express that value. This process is
much like picking points off of a
graph. Playback reverses the proce-
dure just as you would sketch a graph
given the plotted points. The system
by R. Mulinary
The William G. Davis Computer Re-
search Centre is a new modern facility
being constructed on the former "8"
Parking Lot. It will contain offices and
laboratory space for the following
departments; Electrical Engineering;
Computer Science; as well as corporate
offices for the Institute of Computer Re-
search. Space is also being provided for
the C.I.M. laboratory, the Sidic labor-
atory and a food service outlet. A major
tenant of the building will be the EMS
Library which will be relocated from its
present location on the fourth floor of the
Math and Computer building. Original
plans called for two 250 seat lecture
theatres, however, at the present time
funding is only available for one theatre.
This project is unique for construction
on the University of Waterloo campus as it
is the first time we have used Project
Management and the fast-talking tech-
niques associated with it. By overlapping
design and construction time it is antici-
pated we will achieve occupancy up to a
Recorded signal:
dotted lines indicate
sampling points
Reproduced signal:
note sampling points
do not faithfully
reproduce original
signal
Diagram shows the distortion created by attempting to reproduce a 20 kHz audio
signal using a digital sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz.
can smooth out the graph because it
plots the best sine function through the
points with a frequency of less than 20
kHz. As the number of samples per
cycle decreases it becomes impossible
for the system to plot a complex sine
wave of proper phase, frequency or
amplitude. This distortion is even
greater in the presence of transients
caused by rapid attack and decay of
the music. When a transient occurs
the system must get new information
on the waveform and follow the new
graph as quickly and accurately as
possible. As the sampling rate is
decreased accurate plotting of the
waveform becomes even more difficult
and unlikely.
In order to graph a sine wave
accurately, 4 points are required on
each cycle. With a 44.1 kHz sampling
rate a CD remains accurate to 11 kHz,
above which distortion rises rapidly. A
sampling rate of 80 kHz would accu-
rately reproduce frequencies up to 20
kHz.
Distortion also occurs due to
quantization error. This error is due to
the recording system having to pick the
best of 32767 values to ' express the
voltages it samples. This error
increases as recording level decreases
because the system has fewer possible
values to choose from. This low level
distorted signal is so noticeable that
random noise called dither is actually
added to the source signal to mask the
distortion and to keep the recorded
signal from becoming too low.
Despite the low sampling rate
and the small sample size, the disc
surface contains 5 billion bits of infor-
mation. Each square mm contains over
100,000 bits, so a scratch, fingerprint
or dust particle that exceeds 0.003 mm
across, will obstruct one bit and make
that sample invalid. What is com-
monly referred to as error correction is
more accurately error detection and
concealment. When an error is
ICR Progress Report
Construction on the building' s
detected, the system looks at informa-
tion before and after the lost sample to
find the reproduced data. If, for some
reason, this copy of the information is
also not available, the system infers an
estimate of the 16st data. As errors
increase in length, as with scratches on
the disc surface, burst errors occur
making error concealment less and less
accurate as more sequential data is
lost. On inferior players, error con-
cealment systems are easily overloaded;
but severely worn discs can overload
even the best error concealment sys-
terns.
Error concealment systems
only hide the fact that data is being
lost as wear occurs on the disc surface.
Although CD's are more durable than
analog discs they should be handled
with just as much care.
The advantage of CD's is not
perfect sound, but they eliminate many
problems associated with analog disc
recordings. Problems like low SIN
ratio and dynamic range modulation
noise, turntabJe rumble, wow and flut-
ter, out of centre discs, turntable, ton-
earm and cartridge resonance, record
and stylus wear disc warp and reso-
nance, acoustic and mechanical feed-
back and Record/Playback RIAA
equalization. CD's have achieved con-
sistency of sound that is very tolerant
of environmental variables.
Unfortunately CD's do not
realize the full potential of the digital
medium. The CD system makes rea-
sonably good use of existing technology
and indeed is a quiet musical system!
Hopefully the industry has remained
flexible enough to make use of new
data storage and microprocessor tech-
nology as it becomes available.
year earlier.
Currently the architects and engineers
are working on detailed design drawings
for interior finishes and the electrical and
mechanical systems and it is anticipated
that tenders will be called for this work in
the fall of 1985.
Total cost of the project inc1udingcon-
struction costs, fees, furnishings and
equipment and necessary innovations to
existing buildings is 46.6 million dollars.
Construction is now underway and it is
expected foundations will be sufficiently
completed by early September to be ready
for erection of the precast columns,
beams, and hollow core floor slabs. These
units will be fabricated off-site starting in
July. The erection ofthe exterior cladding
system should commence in November.
Although the detailed design took
longer than anticipated, the Project
Managers, UMA Spantec Ltd., still feel
the project will be ready for occupancy in
thefaU of 1986.
JULY 1985
IRON WARRIOR 9
In defence of Digital Audio

by Paul Bauman
It has indeed been intere ting to follow
the evolution of compact disc and digital
audio technology in the marketplace
through the past few years . In a world
where mediocrity is generally the rule it is
encouraging to see a superior technology
succeed commercially. Digital audio
provides the best reproduction of the
original acoustic event with little or no
signal degradation and the results are
quite pleasing both musically and aesthet-
ically.
Initial reactions to digital audio in the
popular press ranged from complete un-
acceptance based on uninformed to un-
substantiated claims based on unscien-
tifically-conducted listening tests to
emotional, ugly name calling. Never-
theless, compact disct (CD) technology
has gained a firm foothold in the market-
place and although the majority of critics
have been silenced some misconceptions
still exist. Some of these misconceptions
were evidenced by an article appearing in
the March 1985, Iron Warrior for those of
you who were around then.
Many people believe that by sampling
and quantizing a music signal , infor-
mation is lost or that the digitizing process
is inherently not good enough. Such
people will make remarks such as "dist-
ortion occurs in the presence of tran-
sients", or "D-A reconstruction is
equivalent to plotting the best sine
function through the sample points with a
frequency of less than 20 kHz", or "error
correction is more accurately error
detection and concealment". On listen-
,
complain that the music sounds too cold
and sterile. Hopefully the preceding state-
ments will be shown to be invalid.
Anyone who understands the Nyquist
sampling theorem and acknowledges the
limit of human hearing as 20 kHz has to
accept the standardized sampling rate of
44.1 kHz as adequate for digital audio.
The original continuous signal can be
exactly and fully reconstructed from the
sampled version ifthe sampling frequency
is greater than twice the highest signal
frequency component. For the CD
system, sampling at 44. I kHz in con-
junction with proper low pass filtering,
bandlimiting, and anti-alias filtering
before A to D conversion ensures flat
response to 20 kHz with negligible high-
frequency distortion.
The sampling process is illustrated in
Figure I (courtesy of Lipshitz and
yanderkooy) and the inherent periodicity
of the sampled spectrum is evident. Anti-
aliassing filters are required to eliminate
those frequency components above Y:z the
sampling frequency.
Arguments that the signal can be
changing too rapidly between samples (ie.
transient distortion) are invalidas thehigh
frequency components required to pro-
duce this are simply not present in the
signal - they have been filtered out at the
initial bandlimiting stage before A to 0
conversion. Fourier synthesis requires
high frequency components to produce a
rapid time transient (think of the delta
function) and since these high frequency
components have been filtered out at the
input stage, there is no ambiguity between
samples due to transient distortion. The
only question remaining is whether the
band-limiting filters themselves audibly
degrade the signal. Carefully conducted"
listening tests have shown that these filters
are innocuous.
SAMPLING THEOREM
OlP=
\


I
I
I
I
I 1
ih !.
TItZS ReOAIN
Fig. 1
SIGNAL RECONSTRUCTION
SINX/X FUNCTIONS AT THE SAMPLE POINTS
.5
OASHED CURVE IS SUM OF SINX/X FUNCTIONS
FaECUENCY SICNAL (2B SAMPLES PER CYCLE)
Fig. 2
SINX/X FUNCTIONS AT THE SAMPLE POINTS
I
I
1
1

,.f

o
-10
-20
QUANTIZATION
QUANTIZATION ERROR
DIFFERENCE SIGNAL
(This is not the error!)

DITHER
lit/Pur
Fig. 4
IN
,-sa V"7rIS
- + + +- + +
1 kHz SINE WAvf 'LS8 r-r
__ __ -L __ __ __ L--J __ -4 __
dB
o
-10
.5
HICH fREQUENCY SICNAb <Z.S SAMPLES PER CYCLe)
Fig. 3
Another common misconception is
that sine waves are plotted between
sample points in ' the reconstruction
process or, even worse, that the recon-
struction is a "connect the dots" type of
interpolation. People-following this line of
thinking will draw a few pictures of sine
waves and then start screaming about high
frequency distortion.
D to A reconstruction actually corres-
ponds to sinx/x functions of the sample
height being placed at the sample points
and added. This is due to the convolution
of the anti-image reconstruction and
smoothing filter with the data samples.
Reconstruction is not a "connect the
dots" procedure; it is a sinx/x convol-
ution due to the brick wall nature of the
filters used. This convolution can exactly
recover the original, continuous analogue
signal in principle and is an ironclad
mathematical result (the sampling
theorem). Reconstruction by sinx/x con-
volution is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3
for high and low-frequency signals,
respectively.
With regard to quantization questions,
using 16 bits gives a dynamic range in
excess of 90 decibels, outdoing even the
best of analog storagc media . Those who
desire even more dynamic range (ie. "but
rock concerts go to 110 dB") would
probably find any more range unusable in
the home environment anyway. Careful
listening tests by the people At Phillips and
Sony went into the setting of a 16 bit
standard so we'll just have to live with it.
In response to quantization error
complaints, dither(a raJirdom noise signal)
of roughly Y2 LSB helps linearize the initial
A-O conversion process. Statisical treat-
ments can show linearization of the
quantization steps. Dither hclps remove
the digital aspects of quanti7ation error,
leaving an equivalent analogue system
with high resolution and some inconspic-
uous, low level wideband noise.
The effect of dither is illustrated in
Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 shows
linearization of quantization steps when
varying amounts of dither are applied to
the input signal while Figure 5 shows the
effect of dithering a low-level sine wave (I
quantization step, peak to peak). The
undithered sine wave has numerous
harmonics generated by the spectrum
fREOUENCY (H&)
Fig. 5
shows only a small amount of third
harmonic and some low-level wide band
noise.
10k
Hopefully all fears with regard to
sampling and quantization have been
allayed by now, but a few final words
about error correction may be appro-
priate. Apart from programming
features, this is one of the few areas in
which CD players can differ. Since all
players conform to thesamcsamplingand
quantization standards and it is not LUO
hard to design a half decent filter, they aU
basically sound the same.
Newer generation players are offering
such things as oversampling, more
elaborate filtering schemes (digital and
analogue) as well as Super ErrorCorrect-
ion. These new error correction schemes
generally use larger RAM buffers to allow
for more sophisticated use of available
error correction words for signal recon-
struction in the presence of data errors
from damaged or faulty discs. Error
correcti on is indeed capa b I e off ull y recon-
structing relatively large portions of lost
data and is not just an error concealment
continued on page 10.
..
10
Cameron Wright is the research co-
ordinator for the Waterloo Public Interest
Research Group. The subject matter of this
article was derived from WPIRG's first
summer popular education event which
took place on Wed., June 26in the Campus
Centre.
Off the west coast of Vancouver in
Clayoquot Sound lies Meares Island - a
wilderness area containing salmon
streams, other wildlife and some of the
largest first generation cedar trees in the
world. For 5,000 years the resources of
Meares have been used by the Clayoquot
and Ahousat native people of the area.
For generations these native people have
fashioned canoes and other tools from
trees on Meares and depended on the fish
and game for survival. However, all this
may change soon. Macmillan Bloedal, a
subsidiary of Noranda, and one of five
logging corporations in BC, controls the
timber rights toa large portion of the 8,000
hectares of cedar and hemlock on Meares
Island. They would like to begin logging
on Meares immediately. However their
plans have been interrupted by the British
Columbia Appeal Court which recently
granted an jnjunction against logging on
Meares until the native land claims issue is
resolved. While the judge stated that the
injunction applied only to Meares because
it is a "special place" the results of the
decision could have far reaching impli-
cations for native bands throughout
Canada. The Meares decision will set a
precedent for future negotiations between
native land claims and resource de-
velopment.
It was for particularly this reason that
the Waterloo Public Interest Research
Group hosted an event inthe Campus
Centre on Wednesday June 260n Meares
.
IRON WARRIOR
Meares Island
Island. A former University of Waterloo
student, Laurie Gourley, was on hand to
show some slides of Meares Island and
clear cut operations and to address
questions from the 40 people in atten-
dance. While not claiming to "be an
expert" on the issue, Mr. Gourlay drew
from several years experience with
environmental groups in BC to cover
different aspects of the Meares contro-
versy. The native concept of land
ownership, the dangers of clear cutting,
and public participation in the logging
issue were some of the major areas
addressed.
In native cultur here isno rea concept
of land ownership or property, said
Gourlay. The land is instead open to all as
long as one does not take more than they
need, retaining the ecological balance.
While Gourlaywould not predict what the
eventual court decision would be, he did
say that our western definition of property
might prove problematic for the native
people in a court oflaw. The native people
are claiming ownership of Meares Island
based on their use of Meares over the past
5,000 years for its natural resources. They
have said that they will turn it into a tribal
park open to all except resource devel-
opment operations if the courts rule in
their favour.
Clear cutting is not a new logging
practice. For several years large logging
corporations have been cutting huge
swaths through Be. One-quarter of the
world's softwood supply comes from BC
where 47 million hectares have been
logged, involving the labour of over
70,000 people .. Generally, the clear cutting
means the indiscriminate cutting ot trees
by mechanical means - everything is cut
down along a path possibly hectares in
length and size. According to Gourlay,
clear cutting has united many environ-
mentalists and BC townspeople with the
native people. Judging from past exper-
ience they feel thatclearcuttingofmassive
In defence of Digital Audio
scheme.
Data encoding for the CD format has
an efficiency of 3/4 (ie. 3 data symbols -4
symbols of data plus error-correction
information). Error-correction and parity
words along with the interleaving of
recorded data comprise the Cro s-
Interleave Reed-Solomon Code (eIRe)
system and ensures sufficient redundancy
in the data for complete correction of
burst errors up to 4000 bits (2.Smm) on t he
disc. The amount of redundant infor-
mation encoded in the CD format allows
for a substantial amount of correction
capability but it is still up to the
manufacturer :l!> to how this information
is used-some CD players perform better
than others.
applied the resulting signal will appear
overly bright. In general, the root of the
problem lies in old microphone tech-
niques and new philosophies are required
to go with the digital medium.
In conclusion, the advent of digital
audio and the compact disc has given the
world an exciting medium that will
provide "pure, perfect sound forever". So
get yourself a CD player, relax, enjoy and
then start worrying about the rest of your
system.
Paul D. Bauman
Audio Research
Group, Dept. of
Physics
1) "Digital Audio", Collected Papers
from the Audio Eng. Soc. Premiere
Conferenc, Rye, New York, June 1982
2) "Digital Audio Technology", Naka-
jima, Doi, Fukuda, Iga of Sony
Corporation, TAB Books Inc.,
# 1451
rttJ HALL if,'

I








.. " "
: ........ .
~ . -
.. . :
: ........ .










..
JULY 1985
trees on Meares will lead to extensive soil
erosion, destruction of salmon streams,
and possibly the contamination of the
water supply of the native village of
Tofino. They are also concerned that
logged areas will not be reforested.
Gourlay said, "12 million clear cut areas,
an area exceeding the size of Holland have
not been reforested to date." Environ-
mentalists have joined with the native
people to form "Friends of Clayoquot
Sound" which is proving to be a
formidable lobby against logging on
Meares.
Macmillan Bloedal claims thatjobsand
revenue will be lost if logging does not
begin soon on Meares Island. But it is the
government that may stand to lose the
most in the Meares controversy. If the
logging license for Meares is revoked, the
government may have to pay millions of
dollars in compensation to Macmillan
Bloedal. However the government also
stands to lose many votes and many
tourist dollars if the logging goes ahead. A
recent private poll taken by Macmillan
Bloedal reveals that 73% of BC residents
agree that no logging should occur on
Meares until the native land claims issueis
resolved. It would appear that public
opposition to clear cutting is growing and
that Meares Island may prove to be the
cornerstone for many important issues.
According to Gourlay, "as public oppos-
ition mounts what becomes increasingly
clear is that we need in Canada a full scale
public review of Canada's forest prac-
tices", something that has been lacking for
many years.
For further information on Meares
Island or other contemporary environ-
mental or social justice issues visit the
WPIRG resource centre in the Campus
Centre, Rm. 217 or call 884-9020. Watch
for the posters advertising the next
WPIRG education event on the Strategic
Defense Initiative (SOS) later in JUly.
/"
.. /
. ..
,.
," '. o
. .
~ . .
0
0
o
: .
.
'.
. .
..... ..
.,"
,.'
If one now accepts that digital audio can
work well in theory, why do people
complain about '''the digital sound" in
practice? This problem is generally a result
of the sound engineer's use of analogue
recording techniques for an unforgiving
digital medium, not the medium itself.
With analogue equipment, the engineer
had to compensate for high-frequency
signal degrations as the music passed
through numerous mixdown stages. With
digital audio there is no degradation in
mixdown and if the old techniques are
3) "Resolution Below the Least Signif-
icant Bit in Digital Systems with
Dither", Vanderkooy and Lipshitz, J.
Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 32, No.3,
March 1984
~ ~ t o
--
,
JULY 1985
IRON WARRIOR
RESULTS OF ENGINEERING WEEK
Tracey Renaud
Traditionally, Engineering Week has held a special place in the heans of all the true
and fine athletes in the facuJry of engineering at Waterloo. This term in particular will be
memorable. Not only were these sportive individuals and teams asked to perform to
their maximum athletic potential but they were equally challenged to pass their
midterms in the midst ofthese highly competitive events. The tumoutfor the majority of
the events was quite high and the engineers of Waterloo have certainly proven theirone
common denominator: enjoying a good time and of course getting their priorities
straight (first we'l! boatrace, then we'll study for the midterm tomorrow!).
The following is a list .of all events and results from Engineering Week (June 13th
through 23rd).
P.S. Porches, BMWs and Saabs are restricted to enter into this term'scar rally. This
rule will be followed in order to keep up our image and form the proper traditions
necessary to keep our school in line and achieve the real Waterloo University.
Banner Competition:
1st 2B Chern
2nd IB Mech
3rd 2B Mech
Wrist WrestJjng (less than/equal to 140)
1st
(less than/equal to 140)
1st Matt Manzella 4A Mech
2nd T. Iwamoto IB EE
3rd E. Nasato 3A CH
1st
2nd
3rd
Frisbee Golf:
1st
2nd
3rd
(180 plus)
K. Beck IB ME
A. Von Hurst IB ME
T. Gep4A EE
(Men)
Scott Hardy I B ME
John MacKinnon 3A Civ.
Brian Gemon 3A M .
Havenger Scunt:
Chernanches (4A Ch.)
Mass Chemfusion
Armecheddon
Mechey Mouse Club
141-160 161- 180
Rob McNeil 4A ME Keith Short 4A EE
Rob Klassen 3A CH Jerry Nantais IB ME
Ray Kirtz 4A Civ J. Kee 2B CH
(Women's)
H. Tyler 4A Ch.
L. Hoeve 4A CH
1st
2nd
3rd
Energeneric (3A EE)
Knights of Chemalot (3A Ch.)
Auto Slalom:
1st
2nd
3rd
(Men's)
Andrew Lane 2B Me.
Oliver Peart 2B Me.
Martin Streich 4A Ch.
(Women's)
Nives Stanfeln 2B Ch.
Lisa Lawler 2B Ch.
Tug-o-War
(Women's)
1st Chemanches (4A Ch)
2nd Design Intervention I B Sys)
3rd Sys Pistolettes (3A SO)
Boat Racing:
(Men's)
(Men's)
Armechgeddon (I B Me)
G-Illogical (2B Geo)
Mission Impocivil(lB Civ.)
(Women's)
1st 3B Dance (4A Mech)
2nd Kngts. of Chemalot (3A Ch)
Ladies of the Knight (3A Chern)
Chemanches I (4A Chern)
3rd Superflux (4A EE)
6-Leg Race:
1st
2nd
3rd
Design Intervention (1 B SO)
Knights of Chemalot (3A Chern)
Knights of Chemalot (3A Chern)
Flintstones Trivia:
1st Sys Pistols (3A SO)
2nd Electrocutioneers (2B EE)
3rd Knights of Chemalot (3A Chem)
Pentathlon:
Tied for
First:
3rd
P. Slobodnik (3A Chern)
D. Gibson (2B EE)
B. Daly (3A EE)
Mummy Wrap:
1st Knights of Chemalot (3A Ch.)
2nd Armecheddon (IB Me)
3rd Chemanches (4A Ch.)
Mini-Putt Classic:
1 t Kevin Budd 2B Me.
2nd Arnold E traville 2B Me.
3rd Frank Farkes 2B EE
Cave Cookie Contest:
1st George Freidrich 4A Ch.
2nd Karen Latorre 4A Me
3rd Greg Dalton 1 B Me
Euchre:
1 st
2nd
3rd
Chariot Race:
Tom Sun & Alvin Sun 3A SO
Oliver Peart & Malcolm Ro1l2B Me
Steve Welds & Karen Spears3A SO
1st Nemesys (3A SO)
2nd Knights of Chemalot (3A Ch.)
3rd Feelix (4A Civ)
Grape Toss:
1st
2nd
3rd
Jamie Britton & Greg Rae 3A ME
Stevo & Eric Fletcher 3A EE
Bruce D. & Andrew W. 3A EE
Prof Trike Race
1st 3A Chern
2nd 4A Chem
3rd 3A EE
Raft Race:
1st 3B Dance
Basketball Tourney:
3rd
Volleyball:
1 st
2nd
3rd
Egg Toss:
1st
2nd
3rd
Mission Imposscivl' (lB elv)
Design Intervention (I B SO)
Fcclix (4A Civ.)
Civil Whore (JA CIV)
Chern Waste (I B C'1l Ill)
I B Mcch Armccheddon
2B Chern Mess Chemfusion
3A Chcm Knight of Chemalot
Go-Cart Grand Prix:
1st Dan Hiltz 3A Civ
2nd Steve Walkington 3A SD
3rd Paul Wilson 3A Me
Windsurfing Regatta:
1st Bart BoeJryk 2B Mech
2nd Peter Pfingst 2B Mech
3rd Carl Spiess I B Sys
The chariot "('ace: \Ion by Nemesys
11
12
IRON WARRIOR JULY 1985
lUELcornE
I