Friday, October 1, 1999 The Magazine of the University oflVatedoo Engineering Society Volume 23 Issue 12

HWith doubt and dismay you are smitten. You think there's no chance/or you, son? Why the best books haven't been written,
the best race hasn't been run." -Berton Bailey, Opportunity
e e
Letter From The
Editor
its going half the time, This
mayor may not be true, but
from a student's perspective,
Mat Pigozzo
2B Mech
in many cases the university
has failed to adequately com-
municate to its students some
W
ell, another fro!;h week has
come and gone; passing into the
hearts and memories of many
newly inaugerated engineers. The memo-
ries of this week will stay with them over
a lifetime and will be carried forward as
fuel for subsequent oriemation weeks to
come. My own frosh week is sti ll vivid in
my memory and was one reason I was
drawn to help lead thi s year's event.
But the future of Frosh Week may be in
jeapordy. There are individuals in high
places who would like to see Orientation
Week sterilized, Instead of a week full of
diverse experiences and opportunities to
meet others and develop a personalized
sense of community while being integrat-
ed into the larger Waterloo community,
they would prefer a mere couple of days of
purely academic or administrative orienta-
tion. This would basically amount to:
'Here's where you pay your fees, here's
where you wait in line for co-op, here's
where you write exams - try the ELPE for
practice.'
Why would . ome of the administration
want to despiritize such an important week
in the lives of its students? Frosh week is
where many people make friends that will
last them five years if not a lifetime and
learn many valuable things about their new
chool, new home, new lives and about
themselves - things that cannot be learned
on a services lour of all the potential line-
up on campus. 1be answer to this i sim-
ply (hatlhis is easi er. A lot of people spend
a lot of time planning and organizing the
event so that it runs smoothly (i.e. afely
and legally). But Lhis requires a lot of
'extraneous' effort for many administrative
officials. Some individuals resent this
while oLhers see it as a small sacrifice
when weighed agai nst the benefits realized
by a fulfilling frosh week. IL is the efforts
of Lhese many people (faculty staff and
students al ike) that have kept frosh week
alive at Waterloo and hopefully -for the
frosh of the fULure - will continue to.
But frosh week is just one example of the
changing post secondary environment we
are all forcved 10 cope with every day.
Many things arc changing at a rapid pace
at the universiLY level. So fast in facL that
many student are stuck struggling to try
and keep up or at leasL cope wiLh a post
secondary system in a writhing state of
flux. It seems at times that the admini tra-
tion doesn't even know where it is or where
of the fundamental changes
that affect their lives and
communication is key to reduce confusion.
The more confusion Lhat can be eliminated
form our daily lives the better because let's
face it the world we inhabit is a very con-
fusing and hectic place.
It's not surprising that this happen and
indeed has been allowed to happen, The
students themsel ves are guilty of poor
communicaLion as well. I know many peo-
ple were not impressed with the tremen-
dous fee increases we all saw this past
term as te school tries to cope wiLh contin-
uously diminishing provincial funding.
But where were people when things could
be done about this? Where were these peo-
ple when meetings and task forces etc.
were being assembled on deregulation or
tuition fees? Student apathy is a major area
of concern at Uw. It's no wonder the uni-
versity acts as if it is unaccountable to iL
ultimate customers (its students) when the
sLudents themselves will not make the
school accountable. In the face of such
overwhelming student apathy, its no won-
der the administration has become lethar-
gic regarding many of its duties to the
students. Its hard to care for someone else
when they don't even care for themselves.
There are several examples of how thi sit-
uation is allowing many disturbing
changes to take place at our school. One is
the lack of options for paying tuition and
fees, It's intere ting to note Lhat while the
University is demandIng ever increasing
fi scal support from its student s', it .is
becoming ever so select in how it will
accepL such funds. I know one student
(myself actually) who took the morning of
August 30 (because fees are now required
before we return to campus - to suppo. ed-
Iy eliminaLe line-ups, but also cause some
headaches to co-op students) off work to
come down to Waterloo to pay his fees. In
the middl e of the morning, this student
walks inLo the cashiers office with thirty-
one hundred dollar bills to pass over in
exchange for the right to an education. The
cashier greetd him with a reserved Jook
and shake of the head indicating that as of
May of this year (when I was already away
from school on co-op) practices changed
and fees arc only being accepted through
the mail (or drop slot for those close to the
school or fooli sh enough to try an dpay
fees in person) as a cheque or money
order. Apparently, the use of cash is now
frowned upon by our ociety. This means
one less option is available to me to pay
my fees and in fact several more have been
closed off. The recent support of payment
of fees by plastic (debit cards etc.) has now
also been eliminated. In fact many didn't
even know such payment methods were a
viable 0pLion - further support for my
claims, but is it the student at fault for not
trying to find out or the school for not ade-
quately publicising the fact? 'Why would
the school do this?' you may ask. Well to
be plain, this makes things much simpler
for them. Less options for payment
equates to less hassel for them. But is this
righL? It seems that our technically
advanced chool is behind the times when
it comes to fee payment. Other schools can
register and pay tuition over the interneL
while Waterloo supports no form of elec-
tronic payment - but won't accept ca h
either,
Another particularly disturbing example of
Lhe new trends in University administra-
tion considers privacy is ues and the use of
information, If you're at all like me, you're
inundated with junk mail. Well, now more
of it is headed your way as the University
appears to have started to sell your contact
information to advertisers' mail ing lists.
All of you probably recieved the package
from Bell Canada in the mail sent to you
because you are a Waterloo student (note
the WaLerloo logo on the cover), I don't
have hard facts Lo prove that the university
did this, but given the fact that frosh
recieved these packages as well I am high-
ly uspicious of thi or Waterloo's infor-
mation ecurity if they are innocent. If the
university is selling my addre Lo mailing
list then I feel it's only fair that they at
least lower my tuition by a similar amount
as royalti'es for my information. If this is
the trend the uni versity i s looking to pur-
sue, I find iL distressing that they can do
this without my consent. 1 did not pay over
three thousand dollars this term to be on a
mailing list.
For those who are upset about these trends
and want to do omething about it I fully
encourage it. Become involved as its opnly
through actively making our positions
known that we can hope to affect change.
A campus wide activism group, WPIRG,
i. an excellent way to do this. They have
already formed a group to challenge the
privatization of our school to companie
like Bell and do many similar things on
other is ues. If you want to get involved in
this or ju L want more information, e-mail
WPIRG at: wpirg@watserv l.uwaterloo.ca
WiLh "To .PACP" as the subject (PACP
stands for People Against Corporate
Power),
iron warrior hi ghlights

4 baywatch the work term
Work term in Silicon Valley
5 essco
AGM '99 Summary
6
death by beer
Avoiding pitfalls during the
academic term
Tho I ron Wp, mar Fr Iday. October 1. 1999
8
frosh week follow-up
Feedback from some
participants
1 0 frosh week photos
The week in pictures
W ~ R
The Magazine of the University of
Waterloo Engineering Society
Editor - in - Chief
Mat Pigozzo
Assistant Editor
Tania Bortolon
Layout Editor
Richard Kuttner
Advertising Editor
Nick Gagniaras
Photography Editor
Brad Ellis
Staff
WilAbel
Alii on Annan
Sabrina Foster
Alison Kudelka
Aaron Lebia
Caroline Page
Mary Robinson
Luke Windi eh
Zhan Huan Zhou
New Staff
Shaun Chen
Tom Choi
Danny Chow
Raj a Ooake
Matt Gagliardi
Krista Glemser
~ 1
Kristina Hotz
Yi-Pin Hsiao
Andrew Lin
Ryan Martan
Andrea Martins
Stephanie Purnell
Steven Samborsky
Maria Simoes
Le Wang
Evan Wilson
ShingoYuki
Yang-Yang Zhang
Contributors
Jon Ba tien
Meli sa Bond
Ryan Chen-Wing
PeLer Cresswell
Go ia Garus
Amy Gohn
Stephanie Ho
Arthur Law
Aron Levitz
Marko Markovic
Alex Malan
Jenny Mitchell
Ryan Stammer
OJ. Swan
The Iron Warrior IS a forum for thought provoking
and infonnalive anicles published by the Engineering
Society. Views e"pressed in The Iron Warrior are
those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of the Engineering Society.
The Iron Warrior encourages submissions from stu
dents. faculty and members of the university commu
nity. Submissions should reflect the concerns and
intellectual standards of the university in general. The
author' name and phone number should be included.
All submissions, unless otherwise staled. become the
propeny of The IIVll Warrior. which reserves the
right to refuse publication of material which it deems
unsuitable. The Iron Warrior also reserves tbe righl
to edit grammar. spelling and text thaI do not meet
university standards, Authors will be O(JIified of any
major changes that rna y be required.
Mail should be addressed to The Iron Warrior.
Engineering Society, CPH 1327, University of
Waterloo. Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G I , Our phone
number is (519) II 8-4567 x2693. Our fax number is
(519) 725-4872. E-mail can be $ent to
i ...."rrior@.ngmniJ,uwat.rloo,ca
FroshWeek
Come and Gone
D.J. Swan
4B Civil (Off-Tenn)
H
ello all! Well, Fro h Week is over. I think that
overall, the week wa a rna hing success. We
had a few speed bumps along the way, but noth-
ing that couldn't be handled. My goal for the week wa to
ensure that the Frosh had a great time and that they
learned their way around UW Engineering. From what I
saw, nobody got hurt and most people had fun so that
makes the week a success.
I have talked to many Fro h and many leaders since
the week ended and everybody seems to have had a great
time. It i, ni e to hear
everybody' feedback 0 thai we can understand what
worked and \ hat didn't work for all the Fro ' h Week-" yet
to come. If you have any. uggc. tions. please let u. know
or at lea l pa on your comment. to the pe pIe who will
be running next year' Engineering Orientation Week.
I would aJ 0 like to thank everyone for all they on-
tribuled. I saw the Hugcs and Big. working hard and
playing hard all week. Thi ' job may be fun. bUI the
Engineering leaders arc alwa) s the most organized and
enthu ia tic leader on campu .. Aron, Carolyn, and Mike
were great to work with and although we didn't alwa s
agree on everything, we . urvived and ii was an amazing
Fro h Week. Thi was a great experience for me and one
that I don't think any of us are going to forget.
For all of the potential leader. of next year, ta\"'ing a
more active role during the week bring. with it a lot of
stre s. I was involved with the planning of that one week
for almost 8 months. I spent well over a hundred hours
atlcnding meetings \ ilh various people and an infinite
amount of time brainstomling, planning, scheduling, and
s ,tting up. It \ a lor of work that time out of my life,
but no\\ that it i. over 1 can that I am glad that I did it.
The nc"t Fro. h Week will be on A- ot: which means that
selection of uper Huges, HeadCom, Bigs, Huge., and
eyen Edcom \\ ill be done in the winter, . 0 keep your ears
open ...
1 just hope ou enjoyed the week. as much as 1 did.
D.J. Swan
4B ivil Engineering (Off-Term)
Former Engineering Super Huge
dj wan@engmail.uwaterloo.ca
14 lllTllL SILmON
Sabrina Foster
2A Meeh
N
ear the end of the Q&A session of Engineering
IO I during frosh week, one of the leaders came
up on stage to stand in front of the microphone.
He talked about never giving up. If frosh week is about
preparing you for the next five year. of your life, then 1
think that this one individual did more for them than all
the infinite number of get-to-know-you games that an infi-
nite number of monkeys on an infinite number of type-
writers could come up with.
You are going to fit in. You're going to be at all the
arti . ou'l' oin to t ajob in tn Jr t round.
going to laugh your way through Calculus. You're gomg
to meet the perfect guy/girl in these hallways. You aren't
going to get sick. Your roommate is going to be your new
best friend and won't even snore. You're going to have
endless money in the bank account. Welcome to
Fairyland (pessimism i such a wry term).
If life (engineering) was meant to be simple then entire
ocieties would walk around with hard hats, as if antici-
pating an attack from a giant anvil. In that scenario, we'd
probably be reduced to finding joy in life from running
around thwapping strangers with our slide ruler, . Reality
isn't quite so simple. We head off to Waterloo with wide
eyes and throw ourselves into endless lectures and text-
books. It's aJmost like some kind of last hoorah to good
old Darwin's survival of the fittest, except that we choose
it for ourselves and we do it to ourselves.
I believe that the value of getting your engineering
degree has more to do with proving that you can stay com-
mitted to a goal, in spite of a hostile environment, than
being particularly brilliant. And there's a decent statistical
probability that a set of unfavourable variables will settle
Lhemselves in your path. These obstacles and our attempts
to tru8g1 th,ro,ug 1 m ace what Pi1 u r m U1
androids. If it all came easily then you'd never get a
chance to learn more about yourself, and isn't that the
point of everything (engineering), after all?
If late nights at the computer lah tinishlllg your pro
gram or three labs due on the same day making you
feel overwhelmed, then just stop. Take an hour or a night
off. A quarter of one percent of the final mark in some
course isn't worth your mental health and certainly isn't
going to decide your fate. Take a little time out for your-
self. I think that some of us get so caught up in trying to
learn to be perfect analyticallhinkcrs that we forget about
our own needs. Playa few games of MarioKart, read a
couple chapters of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff or go over
to William's for something super fattening. Whatever it is,
you need to give yourself a reward! break. You can't bot-
tle up stress for a big profit.
It's hard and it's meant to be hard. Anyone who say
or acts like it isn't is kidding themselves and their psychi-
atrist. But that also doesn't mean that you're not supposed
to be smiling along the way. And if you aren't smiJing,
then that's a clear signal that something needs to change.
No matter whallhe iron ring and the pi.ece of paper allhe
end 0 IV Y r are crac ed up t i 's I t worth aCli-
ficing'y'our happine' s. Don't give up on rhe goal, but do
give your elf a break.
Engineering:
A Circus
Circus Eng
Director
---0
Amy Cohn
2A EllviroChem
-Literally!
perfect and the turn out was wonderful. Over 150 people bunch!
came to be entertained; both children and their parents and The Rotary C'hildn.:n's Centre I'> a wltllllunity service
everyone had a great time! There were many fun activi- ror disabled children thut helps over 2000 p 'opk. The
Lies available like chalk drawing, face painting, crafts, and Centres for the area are located in Waterloo and
a dress-up photo shoot. The Beirdo ...---::-"""'",----:-----..,.--.,...--,==="=":1 Cambridge. II IS a non-profit
Brothers and Candy the Clown (profes- organi/atlon dedicated to helping
. d' sional children's entertainers) also made children realise their full poten-
L
ittle did you know ... the Circus came to town on
Saturday September 25th! ThiS wasn't any or I-
nary Circus, either ... it was CircusEng!! Because
an appearance, much to the delight of lial, and as such, is H very worthy
f
the kids. caw,e. Right now, they have
this event happened so early in the term, most 0 you are
P
robably asking: "What' CircusEng?". To an wer your
This event could not have happened launched a campaign entitled
without the hard "Kids Can't Wait" to raise money
question: CircusEng con- ...-------",...--. f(ll" the Centre. The Waterloo
sisted of about 45 work and dedication
Engineering students
of the 45 volunteers Engineering Society would like to
trucking over to the
that came out. You contributc to the campaign by
guys know who you hohling a raffle over the next cou-
Rotary Children's Centre .
are and I can't thank pIe of weeks .. The prizes are guar-
and making fools out of '
yo enoughl I'd like anteed to be awesome and the
themselves by dressing u .
up in silly costume an d
to give special cause is even better. So, keep
thanks to Tania your eyes peeled for posters with
Playing with little kids E th I f '1 ho d 1"0 a
for t
he afternoon! Bortolon who helped ven e roya ami y s we up.' r the details and give back to your
I The two pri ncesses are . b . th
This is the second me prepare for the community y suppor1tng e
event by runlll
'ng me e and Natalie and the little king is Rotary Children's Centre.
year that the Waterloo d
. They're actually 3 kids who ha
En
cnneering Society has around everywhere.
o lot of fun at the dress-up photo booth!
sponsored this event for Over at the Rotary 1..-_____________ ---'
the Rotary Children's Children's Centre,
Centre. Last year, the L-_-=-__ -= ______________ --' appreciation must be extended to
event was a great success with many smiles created! This Katherine Mayberry who found time
year was even better because the weather wac; absolutely to make this event possible. One more time: thanks a
The Iron Warrior Fnday. October 1. 1999

Baywatch! !!
. Marko Markovic
4A Elec
on having a work term in the Bay area, be prepared to pay
between $500 and $700 per month for rent ( by the way,
that's in AMERICAN currency.). Wherever you might be
living, you are still spoiled by the beautiful weather and
The work term
considering that this was the same double-decker bridge
that collapsed during the San Francisco earthquake in
1989.
scenery. There are foothills sur- r----------------------------------.
H
ello eve.ryone! For those of you like me who are
coming back from your work terms, welcome
back. For all the frosh that are just starting at
Waterloo, welcome to what you will call home for the
next five years ... or four months if you're lucky. For those
of you that don't k.now me, my name is Marko Markovic,
and I'm currently in 4A Electrical engineering. Anyone
that knows me can assure you, I'm a, surprised as anyone
that the 'Gods of Engineering' stili haven't kicked my butt
out of this program. Every term I keep telling June Lowe,
"June, I'm still here!"
I just finished my sixth and final work term. I've been
lucky enough to work for many different companies, and
even luckier to work in many different cities. Specifically,
I would like to tell you about my last work term, in what
has been nicknamed 'Silicon Valley' a.k.a San Jose
California.
The Job
For the past four months, I have been workjng for
Cadence Design Systems in San Jose, located in the
southern part of San Francisco Bay. Cadence is a large
company composed of about 2000 employees working on
a wide variety of things from mixed signal design to CAD
software. I was working on software for a stretchable
PCELL library for the layout of integrated circuits. I
rounding you everywhere. Not
only that, but in the four
months that I lived in San Jose,
it only really rained once, and
that was on May 2nd, which
was the second day I was down
there. [haven't experienced a
major earthquake either, but
with my sleeping patterns, I'm
sure I wouldn't notice if one did
happen anyway.
Sporting News
If you like sports, the Bay area certainly has it all.
Personally, I'm a huge NFL football fan. I was ecstatic to
be able to snag a ticket to a San Francisco 4gers game the
previous work term. I was lucky enough to have had the
opportunity to watch Steve Young throw two touchdown
passes to Jerry Rice against the Atlanta Falcons jn '3Com
Park' (I'm sorry, but I will always call it Candlestick
Park.). For the true Canadian, NHL hockey is also alive
and kicking in San Jose. My friends and I saw the San
Jose Sharks play the Da]Jas Stars. It was the first time I
had ever seen two AMERICAN hockey teams play each
other, live! You haven't seen cheesy hockey being played
until you've seen the San Jose Sharks skate out onto the
ice through a giant shark head with flashing lights for
found the work challenging, and I learned a lot.

r . Thi ' past term, I
The team I was working for was an amazing group of
people. Everybody was brilliant, yet they were people
like you and J who Joved to have a good time. My first
week there was just a week after my birthday, and my
Leam bought me a birthday cake and a card! This sort of
shocked me, as I was used to working for slave drivers
that were only interested in 'work' and getting projects
done. Another thing that surprised me was my cubicle or
'cube' had a SLIDING DOOR! I've never had a door let
alone a Sliding door on any of my cubes in my entire life!
These are definitely the perks that make you really want
to return to a company.
Then there were the company beer-fests. In the four
months 1 worked for Cadence, there were three such
evenLs. A friend of mine, Kumar, worked for Cisco
Systems, which also treated him Lo imilar company par-
ties that, served free alcohol. After the first few parties,
we just made a pact that whenever one of the companies
we worked for had free booze, that we would invite the
other one to 'participate' as well. A good time wa had by
all...
Home Sweet Home
One thing that fascinated me about San Jose, was the
housing. In the two terms that I've worked in San Jose,
both apartment complexes that I've lived in have had more
than one pool and hot tub! At first, [ thought that I wa just
living the life of a rich man, but this myth was quickly
when I found out that almost EVERY apartment
complex had a pool and hot tub. That's just California for
you.
Another thing that shocked me about the area, was
how expensive rent was. It is one of the most expen ive
places to live in, in North America. So if you're planning
caught a baseball game
too. A friend and I drove
to the Oakland Colliseum
and watched the Oakland
A's play, who else other
than".the TORONTO
BLUEJAYS!!! Canadian
pride was at stake, and we
cheered on Canada's tean1
as they gave Oakland a
thorough thrashing en
route to a 9-4 victory. Standing for the Canadian National
anthem in a different country definitely felt weird!
The Streets Of San Francisco
San Francisco is one of the mo t unique North
American ci ti es that I've ever been to. I knew from the
many movies and shows based in San Francisco, that it
had a reputation of having steep hills. Well, not until I got
to be in San Francisco in person, did I realise just how
steep the e hills really were. It was certainly enough to
make the most avid roller coaster enthusia t nau-
seous. Driving up and down tho e hills \\ias definitely an
experience in itself. Then there's the piers I ining the San
Francisco Bay. On
one side, you can see
the Golden Gate
Bridge, probably the
mo. t distinctive
landmark of the city.
I had the opportunity <-_r'"
to wal k across the
bridge, which was
really cool.
Beside the
Golden Gate Bridge,
lies a little island, or
'rock' famously
known as Alcatraz. I went on the Alcatraz tour twice,
investigating the penitentiary, urrounding buildings and
lighthou e. I kept uttering "Welcome to the Rock" in my
best Sean Connery voice during the tour. On the far right
of the piers, there i also the double-decker Bay Bridge
connecting San Franci co and Oakland. I remember the
tirst time a few of u. drove aero s it, I wa a little nervous

The Iron Warnor Fnday. Octobel' 1 1999
0.t
Las Vegas: The City Of Sin
This was the first time that I've ever spent the 4th of
July in the States. So naturally, my friends and I wanted
to celebrate this to the fullest...so the first thing that came
to mind was 'Las Vegas' . A couple of days before we went
to Vegas, a few of us rented movies such as 'Casino' and
'Swingers' to prep ourselves for what was in store. This
proved to be very useful, as we picked uP. phrases like,
"That's so money" or "Vegas .. . VEGAS!!!" that we used
constantly throughout the weekend ..
So, a bunch of us went to the capital of casinos in the
Universe for three scorching days and njghts. I say
scorching, because that particular weekend, it got as hot as
118 degrees Fahrenheit! I had never been to this Mecca of
many vices before, but I really had the time of my life. We
stayed at the Riviera hotel and casino that lay ri ht on the
strip. We spent time at many different casinos such as
MOM Grand, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo,
Excalibur and New York New York. We hit the slot
machines, and got free booze just for playing ... so there
were times when the nickel slots were really attractive.
The unattractive part of the nickel slots was that it would
really get your hopes up. For instance, once I won what I
first thought was a 'jackpot' amount of 100 credit s, and the
change just kept pouring out of the slots. Being in engi-
neering, I'm sure you can do the math, and you'll quickly
come to the conclusi.on that that's only five bucks. Yippee!
We managed to catch a show or two, one being the
'Ma ter Magician' named Lance Burton who was really
incredible. We also hit a few night-clubs such as the Rum
Jungle, The Beach and Studio 54 of 70's New York fame.
Sleep wa definitely not an option in thi town, as the casi-
nos were opened 24 hours a day and there was no la t call
for alcohol. The last night we were there, we didn't even
go to bed. We just partied at Studio 54 until 4:30 in the
morning, came back to the hotel, packed our things, and
caught our flight back to San Jose. If one word could sum
up my experience in Las Vegas, it would be 'Amazing!'
All I Wanna Do, Is Have Some Fun, Until The Sun
Comes Up Over Santa Monica Boulevard ...
Lo Angeles was the final big destination during my
California co-op term. A few of us drove down to L.A.
and stayed at the Holiday Inn on Santa Monica Boulevard.
We did the tourist thing, and drove through Bel-Air. For
ome reason, I ju t couldn't picture Will Smith ever living
there .. .! don't care if he was the Fresh Prince or not.
We briefly drove lhough Beverl) Hill but couldn't
find the 'Peach Pit' or Brandon or Dylan for that matter. I
was pretty disappointed. We al 0 walked down the
Hollywood walk of fame, and aw ome of our favourite
actors' and actresse' tars. A tear came to my eye once I
saw Arnold Schwarzenegger's tar ... the man i a living
icon. I even got to see his and many other famou people'
handprints in front of Mann' Chine e Theatre.
At night we decided to go to a club on Sun et Strip.
We ended up going to 'The Viper Lounge', where River
Phoenix passed away. The club was alright, but the drink
were incredibly expensive ... seven dollars a beer! Some
people got very drunk, and other had to be carried back
to the hotel room in an even more drunken tupor ... but I
won't name any names. You all know who you are!
The next morning, we headed down to Venice Beach.
The beach was nice and at this point, I felt like I was truly
in California. We even asked a lifeguard if we could take
a few 'Baywatch' pictures on his lookout tower, and he
gladly obliged. David Hasselhoff, eat your heart out! We
had a good laugh at that. Thi i also the location of the
infamous 'Muscle Beach' ... a full gym located on the cor-
ner of the eni e Beach. On the way back from L.A. to recommend that if you have the chance to do a co-op term
San Jo e. w managed to top in Cholame. \\ hich L the in California, you hould pur ue it. It was a great experi-
ite where Jame Dean .--______________________ -----____ --.
era hed hi Por che
Spider. and unfortunately
died. We took a few pic-
tures of hi memorial. and
had upper at the diner
be ide it.
Back To Canada. Where
The Beer Flows Like
'Water
All in all. I had an
amazing time in
California. The job wa '-----------________
excellent, my roommate \Va great, the people T hung out
with were fun and the weather and cenery wa incredible.
I enjoyed everything about it, except for one thing ... it's not
home. I wa born in and lived my entire life in Canada.
Wherever] might end up when I graduate eight month
fTom now, Canada will always be home to me. I highly
-- ---- ---
ence that I'm sure I will not forge! any tim soon.
STUDENT SOCJETIES want to go through the effOlt of
writing a full article. Also di -
cussed werc distribution i sues
(you need to put a copy in some-
one' hands or they won't make an
effort to find and read it), as well as
putting a di cu sion bulletin board
on their internet ite
(http://is.dal.ca/-promag).
mation relevant to all engineering student. in Ontario.
The one for the kiddies will include information about
engineering in general. the variou. disciplines in engi-
neering that you can study (including the weirder ones),
and the engineering schooL of Ontario.
Alex Matan
28 Electrical
E
very year, the Engineering Student Societies
Council of Ontario (ESSCO), holds its annual gen-
eral meeting (AGM). This year's delegation from
Waterloo B-Soc included Carolyn Spaney (HeadCom),
Tunazzina Abedin (Fun Person), Jenny Mitchell. (VP-
eXternal), and myself (now VP-Internal). This article
summarizes the serious stuff that occurred at ESSCO
AGM '99, which was held right here at UW in June.
Please note: Most of thi summary was written hortly
after the conference, and some of the facts related to the
news items may have changed by the time of publishing.
ATOPIDeregulation - A workshop was held, and a com-
mittee struck, to deal with this. ESSCO will be repre-
senting engineering students in government dealings over
ATOP and deregulation, so this is a pretty big deal. The
workshop revealed various issues other schools have to
face that are different from those faced at Waterloo. With
regard to increasing enrolment, Guelph is worried about
their program getting 'watered down' so that students of
less academic capability (which are assumed to make up
the bulk of the extra students) can handle it. Western was
worried about the fact that now even more students will
fail out and have tarnished records (Western engineering
admits more students to first year than there are spots in
second year, such that a large portion of the students
admitted "must" fail out). Waterloo's concerns were iden-
tifIed mainly as facilities and staff resource problems, and
finding relevant co-op placements for everyone. As for
tuition deregulation; we all more or less agreed that we
derive great financial benefit from our education, and that
we should pay for it, but not necessarily up front. The
main concern was about getting money when we needed
it, be it free (through bursaries and scholarships) or not
(through loans). We discussed moving student loan
administration and possibly funding to the university level
from the the provincial level (which is being considered or
is being done at Uoff), such that you have an understand-
ing person to deal with your case. It is often difficult for
a UW fo-QP engineering student to get OSAP, e'(en if they
need the money. 1ft a human being at UW, rattier than a
computer in figured out . whether \ or not you
needed the money, it would be a lot easier for those who
need cash to get it.
Project Magazine (the national engineering student maga-
zine) - We encouraged them to start publishing more
news/issues articles and to have a regular "Letters to the
Editor" section to encourage people to write in who do not
PEO Student Memberships - ESSCO is working with the
PEO to establish Student Memberships in the PEO. What
exactly this will entail is still being hashed out. The PEO
really likes the idea, as they are said to be quite interested
in getting tudent involvement in the organization, partic-
ularly since PEO regi tration rates are falling in Ontario.
Contact the EngSoc VP-X, Jenny Mitchell
(ja2mitch@engmail) for details.
Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) - MUN is
offering, through its Computer Science department, a pro-
gram in "Software Engineering." The APEGN
(Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists
of Newfoundland, Newfoundlands's version of the PEO)
and the CCPE (Canadian Council of Professional
Engineers, the national group represellting the various
provincial engineering licensing associations) have heen
deeply perturbed by this, as their rules rorbid anything
being offered as an engineering program or option that is
not upervi ed by a CCPE-approved faculty or engineer-
ing. MUN and the CCPE arranged a deal , bUI AU C'
(Assoc. of Universities and Colleges of Canada) stepped
in, talked to the prez of MUN, and then the deal was off.
AUCC sees this as an issue of academic freedom, and is
backing the case. CCPE owns the federal trademark on
the word "engineer," but MUN registered the trademark
"software engineering," which the courts have ruled to be
perfectly legal under trademark law. APEGN and CCPE
decided then to take hostages by rerusing to do a CEAB
(Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board) accredita-
tion visit to MUN's faculty of engineering, which would
make MUN's program as legitimate in the eyes of engi-
neering law as Bob and Doug McKenzie's Downstairs
School of Beerhunting. I don't remember the exact rea-
soning, whether it was to pressure the MUN prez direclly
or whether it was to turn the MUN engineering students
into more motivated (through terror) spokespeople for the
CCPE point of view. MUN sued CCPE and/or APEGN (1
can't remember exactly) for abusing its accreditation
power for political purposes. The court agreed with MUN
and the CEAB must now do an accreditation visit. CCPE
is now appealing on the grounds that they are a private
organization, and cannot be compelled to do anything that
they don't want to do. MUN's retort is that CCPE's mem-
bership is entirely composed of quasi-governmental orga-
nizations, and is thus also an arm of government, and
therefore must not do things like take hostages to advance
its goals. So at the moment, MUN's accreditation review
will go on schedule. There will soon be a change of lead-
ership at MUN and the AUCC, such that this specific sit-
uation may evaporate nicely soon.
Outreach Efforts - I didn't know about it myself, but uni-
versity engineering students helped out with the Physics
Day [for high school students] at Wonderland this year.
ESSCO is also making up the Great Engineering
Resource Manual (GERM), which will have two modules
- one for engineering students, and one for high school
students. The one for us will be composed of useful infor-
ESSCO & Alcohol - A resolution brought forth by UW
and pa ed by council now prohibits ESSeO confer-
ence/event budgets and delegate fees from being' used to
purcha'e alcohol. Free booze was traditionally ju titled
a a reward for giving up your weekend to do work. But
ESSCO has been trying to get more corporate ponsors
and also be sen itive to those who can't or don't drink.
There will still be booze, but it will cost delegate a few
dollars now.
Fee /1ncome - EngSoc. pay 13 cents per member (i.e.
those who paid their $14 EngSoc fee) as their membership
fee to ESSCO. Due to better rates of collection and ATOP
letting in a lot more students, the fee was left as is
(ESSCO is currently runnin a , urplus). ESSCO also
receives money from the PEO and CODE (Council of
Ontario Deans of Engineering).
ESSCO Exec Elections - President was acclaimed and
weIll to 11 rl'mak l'I\'l,tllcal 'lUdell! I'mlll
McMaster Vi> OI1lIl1UllIcatH)t\ a l'Ontl'\t Ix-twl' '1\
two students. one frolllRy JSOI\ line! the othl'l from
Wes!cllI. The Ryerson stlld 'nl won. vp Education was
acclaimed and won hy <I McMaster studt'nl VI' Finance
was a contest he tween Jil MeAnt fnlm IJW and a student
from Mac. The Mac student wok lhl' position.
E-SSC'O'lympics'OO This is an 1111 serious competition
between Ontario cngineering schnob. 1 don't know who
is having it this year, but next year it will be at Ryerson.
ESSCO AGM '00 Guelph was the only school to put ill
a bid, and they passed the cOlllirmution vole.
Travel Expenses - In the past, the travel expenses of the
ESSC'O Executive (Prel, VP-Finance, VP-Educatioll, and
VP-Communicatiol1s) to go lQ conferences have been paid
for by ESSCO. It was decided that since ESSCO Exec are
also students at their respective schools, that they should
be subsidized by their own schools, as is the case for most
other conference delegalcs who are not on the ESSCO
Exec. Money for travel expenses will now be prioritized
toward assisting delegates from distant schools (like
Ottawa, Carleton, Laurentian, and Lakehead) with
expenses to attend conferences and other events,
More info - ESSCO's website is at www.essco.on.ca You
can subscribe to the ESSCO discussion list by sending an
email to Jistserv@listserv.uoltawa.ca with "SUB ESSCO-
L" (without the quotation marks) in the message body.
There was lots of fun and games in the evenings, but I
don't have time to write about that right now. This was my
first engineering conference, and I really enjoyed the
experience. If you like meeting people, having fun, and
partaking in interesting discussion of vital social issues
and stuff, T recommend that you apply to attend one of
these conferences. Contact Jenny Mitchell, VP-X for
more info.
The Iron War nor Frtday. October 1. 1

Death by Beer
W
ell here we are, back for another term of
school. The days of little sleep, excessive cof-
fee, and last minute cramming are upon us.
Students often make some mi stakes along the way as they
plummet down this dark hole. Don't fret, I'm here to tell
Zhan Huan Zhou
38 Comp
you the secrets of avoiding this road. There are two key
ideas that should be kept in mind throughout this article.
First, university is expensive. Your tuition costs $3000
and you still have to pay for other expenses such as book. ,
food, and renl. Over your eight academic terms, this is a
substantial cost. Secondly, university is an educational
institution; you are here to learn. If you aren't here to
learn, you shouldn't be here; but that's a discussion for
another time.
For all you frosh out there, you are probably sick and
tired of everyone telling you that you shouldn't get
involved, whatever that mean. I'm here to tell you the
opposite - well, sort of. There are so many opportunities
to get involved in (EngSoc, residence, Feds clubs and
recrealionalleagues etc.) that it is so easy to get lost in the
sea of activities. You may be tempted to take on every
activity that piques your interest. It is likely that by doing
so, you will nOl have time to accomplish anything that you
want.
However, I'm not suggest ing that you shouldn't get
involved with anything at all. I firmly believe that you
should get involved with the activities that interest you
because it enhances your university experience. But, by
being too involved, you will find yourself dropping less
interesting activities in favour of more rewarding ones in
the end. You can make it ea ier on your elf by simpl)
doing that acti .. ities you like the bet. 1u t make ure you
don't drop everything becau e you need a break from
school to keep your anity. A time will come when you
figure out how to balance your activitie and chool such
that you get maximum enjoyment from both. You will
feel that your money is being well pent. Furthermore,
you will be learning as well a having fun.
Perhap the greate t mi take made by many students is
the exce sive amount of alcohol con umption. I have no
problems with drinking, but did you really pay $3000 to
come to a party? Frosh week and end of exams are excep-
tions, and maybe Octoberfe t too. In between. there i
work to be done so that you can graduate and get on with
life. You want your $3000 to be an inve tment into your
future, not your ticket to a drinkfest. There are other ways
to get drunk and for so much cheaper. On the other hand,
you can argue that drinking in uni ver ity is a learning
experience. One lesson I'm sure many of you have
learned is the number drinks you can have before bowing
to the porcelain god. You don't want your time and money
going to the same place.
It is expensive for a university education. Don't throw
away your time, money, and learning opportunities. You
should not compromise your education by drowning in
extra-curricular events or beer, especially when you are
paying $3000. In the end however, it's your decision to
make, not mine.
Take A Zhance has been regularly featured in The Iron Warrior
since September 1997. Past articles can be found at
http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/studentlzhzhou.
Welcome Back To Co-op!
Arthur law
28 Systems
W
elcome to a new term and another trek through
Co-op. If you're a stream 4 frosh, then you've
already started stuffing resumes into bins. Your
buddie& wi.ll gO .1\lr.9\}&h tijc.exact same thing in
4 more months!
If you're overwhelmed, stressing, or just confused then
ask one of your upper year counterparts. They may be a
liule war-torn from going through Co-op, but they'll be
your best source of advice through the process. Just take
the gloom & doom with a grain of salt and you'll figure
out how it works. If you're still confused, pop into the
Orifice and we'll set you straight. Just don't be afraid to
ask. You're in Co-op for 6 terms so the sooner you figure
it out, the less pain involved.
Pub, Restaurant,
Pizzeria, and
Pool Place
Open Monday, Tuesday and
Thursday 12 noon to 1 a.m.
Wednesday, Friday and
Saturday noon to 2 a.m.
Sunday noon to midnight
Now for the inside scoop on Co-op:
We're all a part of the Co-op system, and it's just as
important to the engineering experience as our classes.
We've got a group on campus called the Co-op Students
Advisory Group (CSAG) and what it does is work with
Co-op to make the system better for students. We review
the current Co-op process and provide the student point of
view on Co-op decisions. CSAG acts as the sanity check
for o-op.
What we're doing this fall:
Co-op fee review: Every one should realize by now
that we're paying $420 for co-op this term up from $411.
Why? No one knows; the fee has been rai cd for thjs fall
without an announcement going out to the 10,000 student
in co-op. Is $9 a big deal? Maybe not but what happens
when it goes up again next term? And the term after that?
When docs it end? Why won't the Co-op department
explain its thinking to its customer (that' us, for all you

The Iron Warrior Friday, October 1. 1999
frosh)? We want a co-op fee review to take place in order
to explain where this money is actually going. As our fees
keep rising, it's time for this Univer ity to become more
accountable to students.
CECS.Online, is a web-based Co-op system that was
designed to replace ACCESS. It wa meant to be opera-
ti onal back in 1998, however, the project has now been
delayed again until Spring 2000. Thi s is a really bad thing.
Know why? Because ACCESS ha n't been tested for the
Year 0 O! E tell s us th y will conducting Y K
testing on ACCESS sometime really soon now. CSAG
will continue to keep you up to date with our Y2K count-
down coverage. Anyone know COBOL?
Don't forget to 611 out your Change of Address Card
If you're living in a different place from last term, fill out
this fonn. Why?
- You may bave already won one million dollars!
- If you haven't your tuition, they'll know where to
track you down.
- Co-op can contact you for changes to interviews.
and
..... , ... Corel
. Af' '1! (Odl- ng
j!!I "Ifil J"> .
~ : ~ ; r fha 11 enge
www.corel.com/c3
Welcome to the Corel Coding Challenge, * It's your big chance to take a bite out of staggering textbook and tuition
costs, score leading-edge software and hardware, earn bragging rights for you and your school and have fun
doing it
Here'. how It worka: Every month, a new programming problem will be posted on our Web site. All you have
to do is program a solution and send it to us.
The top three coders for each month win cash and prizes, and accumulate points. The next best 50 coders get
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..... k In on.be.ctIon atwww.corel.com/c3toreglster.nduncover.lI .... cletall ..
*The contest Is open to all Canadian post-secondary students, Contest ends Sept. 30, 2000,
Copyright C 1999 Corel CorporatlOf'l, All rights rese/Ved,
CCOIEI.:
The Iron Warrior Friday, October 1, 1999

Shaun Chen
lA Comp
"All Waterloo Engineering Frosh, Beware of
EDCOM!" read a banner which stretched across the side
of an overpass, as I rode with my parents along the high-
way from Toronto to Waterloo.
"Whatever," I thought. My mind was elsewhere,
attempting to answer the many questions that have
plagued the minds of probably all high school graduates
entering university. Will I be accepted and make new
fri ends? Are myoId friends going to change? How will
my roommate be? How the heck do I do laundry?! .
On Tuesday morning, after an exhausting day of resi-
dence events, J rushed, feeling somewhat exci ted, to the
first event on my faculty agenda: 5 Pri.nciples of
Engi neering. Divided into various colour groups, the
soon-to-be Waterloo engineers of the class of 2004 met
their frosh leaders. After a few ice-breaker events, fol-
lowed by several group readings of the Plummer's Hymn,
J felt much more at ease.
Our colour group, fuchsia, was then led to a larger lec-
ture room, where we met up with the teal group. As
echoes of a siren suddenly filled the room, our Huge
scurried out the metal doors, leaving us to over a dozen
invaders dressed in black with chains around their necks.
We had just met EDCOM.
"This is scary," remarked a fellow frosh sitting beside
me. For the next week, we were forced to say, "Fuchsia
loves EDCOM." We put on plays for them, hut up when
they commanded so through their megaphones, and spelt
"fuchsia" correctly as opposed to our original "F-U-WE-
DON'T-KNOW!"
As frosh, we were belittled like soldiers in training.
We were yelled at, looked down at, and we were afraid of
the superior EDCOM, their black attire, unusual hair and
metal chains.
Just the other day, I ran into one of the EDCOM mem-
bers. Dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt, he is just anoth-
er engineering student in second year. He is really
nothing to be afraid of.
I guess that is what I learned, slowly but surely, about
going into university. Throughout frosh week, I felt more
and more at ease and realized that my peers shared many
of the same concerns. What really helped were the great
activities, from getting to know others through teamwork
during mystery night, to the outstanding presentation of
Single & Sexy (which I think should be seen by every
frosh in Canada!).
I particularly enjoyed the SCUNT as I was in the road-
trip team travelling around Kitchener-Waterloo, perform-
ing numerous duties and obtaining various scarce entities,
such as the tight fuch ia-coloured di co top purchased
from the thrift store.
Unfortunately, our crew was un ucce ful at getting on
CKCO or the radio (both requirements of the SCUNT) but
we did embarrass ourselves by visiting a couple financial
institutions, dressed in hard-hats and bright fuchsia t-
shirts, requesting two Canadian dollars worth of South
American currency.
By the end of frosh week, I had the least bit of doubt
within me. The University of Waterloo is now my second
home; it is a place where I will learn and grow, a place
where I will satisfy my insatiable thirst for experience and
desire for no curfews, a place where I will (hopefully)
graduate with a degree.
My bright fuchsia t-shirt and yellow hard-hat have
successfully initiated my nearly five year journey as a
Waterloo engineer.
Making the transition into university was easy, but I
quickly realized that some lessons must sti ll come the
hard way. As I removed my frosh t-shirt from the dryer a
few days ago, I noticed it was no longer exclusively fuch-
sia, but stained red allover' I guess I still have to work on
the laundry bit.
Shaun Chen, 19, is a year computer engineering student
and class rep. He is a part-time freelance writer with articles
published in The Toronto Star and other national publications.
He can be contacted through his web-site at
http://www.shaunchen.8m.com
The Iron Warrior Wants
Spirit of Engineering
YOU!!!
Submissions (of any type) always welcome!
Next Issue: Friday October 15, 1999
Deadline for Submissions: Thursday, October
The theme for next week's issue is a critical
analysis o/what engineering is and how il filS
society and impacts people
(including its students).
Stephanie Purnell - __ _
IA Chem
F
rosh week was all about getting to know a new
campus and new people and also about having fun.
We were all starting frosh week from scratch, try-
ing to sec where we would fit into the Waterloo commu-
nity. The frosh week act ivites helped us to make new
friends, and running around helped us to get our bear-
ings. Through various crazy stunts and fun events,
EDCOM and our leaders instilled within us the pride of
being Plummers.
But frosh week was about more than throwing water
balloons and screaming ourselves hoarse. When we met
The Sandford Fleming Foundation, chaired by
support the programme come from student
AWARDS
FINANCIAL
the TOOL, we experienced a taste of the engineering
community of which we were to join. A good example of
this community spirit occurred at 2 a.m. during SCUNT.
A karaoke event was held on the POETS patio ... thi s is
one of my most vivid memories of frosh week. Someone
from Marigold had decided to sing "American Pie" for
our listening pleasure. Twenty or thirty people -frosh,
bigs, and EDCOMs alike - sang along together without
the burden of social barriers (or worrying about how our
hair looked). Maybe it was because we were all so dead
tired, but at that moment everyone present was equal and
belonged. So now that we're here and we belong, we, the
Frosh of 2004, are going to have a damn good time!
AWARD
AWARD
AWARD
Funds to
Anyone wishing to leam more about the Foundation may contact the
Waterloo Campus Office at x4008 or sffOengmaituwatertoo.ca

The Iron Warrior FI'Ic!ay October' 1. 1999
What's p With
Fros
Tania Bortolon
I
n 1998, everal change were made to fro h week with
the intention of eliminating the hazing and hara ment
that can take place during frosh week. The e change
promoted responsibility for the frosh and allowed them to
have fun as well. Being a frosh of '98, I did not have the
opportunity to experience the "hard core" frosh week that
initially comes to mind .... anyone recall the movie Dazed
and Confused? Although my experience was excellent, r
still sort of wi hed for that extra bit of chaos. Frosh week
'99 saw the onset of more restrictions on events, drinking
and even the Plummer's hymn. It is now set up to attend
to the needs of the most ensitive student . But should
addressing these students mean ignoring those who would
like to participate in the "humi liating" events?
The majority of the frosh are 18 or 19 years old and
are hving away from home for the first time. FREEDOMl
I agree that no one should be forced to participate in activ-
ities that make them uncomfortable, but is there a need to
remove the freedom of choice from the others? I find it
rather belittling that we (well, I still consider myself
'frosh-ish') are presumed to be incapable of rational judge-
ment. Just because a song tells me that I can demoli sh 40
beers, it does not mean that I will make an attempt to do
so. P1l!S, there are many lessons to be learned by suc-
cumbing to peer pressure. Harsh lessons, perhaps; but
they are valuable nonetheless.
Within the next few years, frosh week will be com-
pletely dry due to the elimi nation of OAC's as all first year
tudent will be below the age of majority. For thi. rea-
on, adminUration ha. cho en to redu ' e the numher of
wet event over a pan of time rather than all at on e when
the new sy tem i in pia e. As for the issue of the
Plummer' hymn ..... Ahhh, thi i a ore. pOl. On a whole.
the engineering profe. ion has been recei\ ing much flak
for the lack of profe sionali m in it. student.. In
to thi criticism, the Canadian Federation of Engineering
Student (CFES) decided that a new version of the
Plumber' hymn should be creat d. So. for one wee!" in
the year, we are to sing a different ver. ion of our beloved
hymn. It's all about image. I tried to explain this concept
to a few people to get their reaction. "BuJlS**t!" was the
most frequent re ponse that I can prim in thi paper.
Employers want well-rounded engineers to work for
them: someone who is hard working, able to communicate
with others, and someone who does not crack under the
stress of a highly competitive work place. Well, try to
convince me that someone who does homework 24 - 7 is
going to perform as well and someone who leaves time for
social activity (no offense to anyone who is introverted).
I think Homer said it best: "No tv and no Beer make
Homer somethi ng, somethi ng. to
I spoke with many people regarding the e issue to see
what can be done to change the fate of fro. h week, but it
seems that students have very little say regarding the
events which are run. By this, I mean that the events must
follow certain guidelines outlined by the admi nistration.
------ --- - - ----
The
Week?!
The majorit) of the frosh spoken 10 . aid that they would
hm c participated in tht: mud pit and that it. houJd be run as
an optional event during CUNT. But, even though these
opiOlon. com' !;tmight from the fro. h, the admini tration
continue. 10 dictale what is available to the frosh regard-
less of what Ihey want and don't want. Many of the frosh
felt as though the tmnsition from high school 10 univer i-
t was minimized with respect to the freedoms that
they were given and the options which were removed.
And now 10 the lopic of frosh weeks at other univer. i-
tic. in Ontario. AClUall, fo rge I about that. Let's talk
about the event run by other faculties at the University of
Waterloo. Speaking of the Uludpil, tell me what the dif-
ference i between a student wal!"ing through a pit of mud
and a tudenl trashing down a slide covered in chocolate
. auce? How about the facl thaI these . ame studenu were
dyed from head to toe? Another group of frosh was per-
milled to have whip cream and shaving cream fights with
th ir leaders. I wish that I had answer for you, but I did-
n't get the answers myself. Rest assured that battle. are
being fought and the resulls of these talks will be made
known to you a. soon as pOSt ible.
So, to wrap up my anger management session, I'd like
to ay that frosh week '99 was a huge. uccess by any stan-
dards, despite the limitations placed on the frosh, bigs,
huges, . uper-hugcs, EDCOMS, and even the FOC mem-
bers themselves. A great time was had by all that partici-
pated!
What were your impressions of
Engineering Orientation Week '99?
D
D
D
Mat Pigozzo, Caroline Page
Krista Glemser - Env Civ, Laura Jones - Env Civ, Jennifer Chapman - Geo
Scunt was Awesome!
Engineering events were beter than village. All were fun. but Englllccring had Ih . hl'sl Frosh Wcck.
Toga was {he best. You always hear so much ahout to 'as. It's 'I' 'al, c\eryolh'::'S darwin' .Iround illld
having fun.
(back) Alexander Gutfraind - Comp, C Dionne Ma<:cagno - Comp, SrikHnt Sortur - Comp
(front) Gregory Tcherniak - Comp, Maria Simoes - Comp
Scunt was good. It involved lots of compet iti on and creali vity. I enjoyed helping 10 make UV\ rohot.
(No comment)
Meet the TOOL was the best! The feelings of commaraderie and unity and the idea of having a mas-
cot all build engineering pride.
The whole week was fantastic. I loved being part of the DOG squad. Drab Olive Green all the way!
Scunt was fantastic. Engineering was the most fun and we all got so tired. Engi nuity was great too.
Eric Duiker - Mech, John Van Dyke - Mech
EDCOM - because they were enthusia<;tic about doing their jobs and enforcing the rules. The only
good thing about engineering frosh week.
Meet the TOOL! It was really cool to be all hyped up and with high adrenaline levels with all the
engineers together.
Eero Teene - Mech, Dennis Lubbers - Chem, Kathy Janzen - Chern, Stephanie
McCarthy - Chern, Andrea Martins - Chern
EDCOM - because they were all "F-ed" up.
I didn't do frosh week.
Meeting the TOOL - because you met the TOOL.
Scunt, especially the lipsync when Leo did Bohemian Rhapsody.
When its 4:30 in the morning on Scunt Night and everyone's so hyper, still awake and ready to have
more fun. McDonalds in french and talking to llamas.
Meg Payne - Chern
Toga Party was fantastic because there were lots and lots and lots of people
from different faculties - EVERYONE!!
The Iron Warnor Fnday, Octobel 1. 1999


The Iron Warrior Friday, October 1, 1999
.
I
The I ron Warrior Friday, October 1, 1999
I ,,#
. , ,
III
,
o-the-Point'
Consortium to combat Internet fraud
HNC Software (Document link not converted) , along
with five eCommerce service providers, has formed the
Internet Fraud Prevention Advisory Council (lFPAC).
The industrywide group--including EC Direct,
CyberCash, ShopNow.com, Ebit.Net, and Signio--will
aggregate data from millions of credit-card transactions to
create detailed accounts of fraudulent Internet activity. At
the same time, IFPAC will protect the privacy of individ-
ual customers, which analysts say has been a major con-
cern for merchants more worried about competitors than
about fraud.
Based on "E-Commerce group JOins to battle Internet
fraud," by David Bank, The Wall Street Journal, 20
August 1999, p. B3.
Cryptography legislation proposed
US lawmakers will submit a biJl--caJled the Cyberspace
Electronic Security Act-- that would provide law enforce-
ment entities with search warrants or court order that
allow agents to access encrypted files if they determine
the encrypted information could be crime-related. Critics
of the proposed law claim it is unconstitutional and that
file. could be damaged by law enforcement personnel
who are searching for crime-related material.
Based on "Government proposes new cryptography bill,"
by Ann Harrison, Computerworld, 23 August 1999, p. 4.
Userland develops simple browser-based Web
authoring tool
Userland is developing Manila, a browser-based Web
authoring and management tool designed to dramatically
simplify Web content management. Manila, which does
not require any knowledge of Hyper-text Markup
Language (HTML), is currently in the alpha testing phase.
The application is builton XML-RPC (Extensible Markup
Language Remote Procedure Call) protocol and will run
on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux platforms.
Based on "Browser tools to simplify Web development,"
by Jeff Walsh, InfoWorld, 12 July 1999, p. 18.
Uniscape to deliver Web-based translation services
Uniscape announced a translation portal service designed
for corporate customers. The service will translate Web
sites, user interfaces, and related documentation across
several languages. Unlike simple text translation services,
Uniscape will provide corporations with workflow tools
to manage the translation process as well as a shared data-
base that will remember translated definitions. Uniscape
will use Java server code, Extensible Markup Language
(XML), and an Oracle database to provide the service.
Analysts say 70 percent of Internet users will be non-
English speakers by 2004, and more than 20 percent of
traffic on American-based Web sites is already from out-
side the US.
Based on "Translation services debut on Web," by
Michael Vi7,ard and Ephraim Schwartz, InfoWorld, 12
July 1999, p. 14.
Internet companies form lobbying group
Nine Internet companies are forming a public-policy lob-
bying group that will promote nonregulatory solutions on
key industry issues such as online privacy and intellectual
property. The organization, dubbed NetCoalition.com,
includes Lycos, Amazon.com, Yahoo!, eBay, and
DoubleClick. The group will veer away from issues such
as access to cable lines, which is the subject of a bitter
connict between America Online (AOL) and
Excite@Home, both members of NetCoalition.com.
The need for an industry presence in Washington was
underscored recently in a clash between the US
Commerce Department and the Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The Commerce
Department demanded that ICANN, formed last year as
the Internet's governing body, open its board meetings to
the public and eliminate the $ 1 fee for registering Internet
addresses.
Andersen
Consulting
Based on "Internet flrms set lobby group to pu h view on
privacy, intellectual property." by Kara Swi her, The Wall
Street Journal, 12 July 1999, p. A22; "U.S. move to tight-
en reins on new Internet regulator," by Jeri Clau ing, The
New York Times, 10 July 1999, p. B2.
AT&T faces another challenge over access to cable
lines
Commissioners in Broward County, Florida, voted to
require cable television franchises to open cable lines to
rival Internet access providers. The ruling was prompted
by the transfer of the county's cable franchise from Tele-
Communications Inc. (TCI) to AT&T (Document link not
converted) in the wake of their merger. The vote is the lat-
est challenge to AT&T's bid to offer high-speed Internet
services--as well as local and long-distance phone ser-
vice--over cable lines. The company has spent $120 bil-
lion acquiring cable companies such as TCl and
MediaOne, betting that cable will prevail as the multime-
dia pipeline into the home.
The Florida decision comes just one month after a federal
court ruled that Portland, Oregon, could require AT&T to
open its cable network. Similar measures will be voted on
in several US cities in the coming weeks.
Based on "Another vote to open up cable lines means
more complications for AT&T," by Kathy Chen, The Wall
Street Journal, 14 July 1999, p. B7.
Nokia leads rising sales of digital wireless handsets
Sales of wireless digital phones rose sharply in the first
quarter, with Nokia holding a significant lead, according
to a report by Dataquest. Nokia had a 32 percent market
share of the seven million phones sold in the quarter.
QuaJcomm was second with 15 percent, and Ericsson was
third with 13 percent. Motorola (Document link not con-
verted) had 12 percent of the market. Of the leaders only
Ericsson suffered significant losses, which analysts
attribute to the growing popularity of the digital standard
Thinking 3 years down the road?
Good, we already have something in common.
Andersen Consulting Career Day, October 13, Student life Centre, an all-day event featuring:
- eCommerce Presentation, '10:00 3.m. a 2:00 p.m.
- "Workforce of the Future", 12:00 p.m. a 4:00 p.m.
, Applications due October 20 to Needles Hall. Interviews on Campus, November 1 -3, Needles Hall.
If you're constantly thinking about the future, here's a
chance to actually do something about it. Come be a part
of a leading global management and technology
consulting organization- Andersen Consulting.
Together, we'll help world-class clients prepare for new
challenges by delivering profound change. We'lI help unlock
their potential for suceess by aligning strategy with people,
~ 9 9 8 A ~ m n Coruu1ting. All tights ICStJVtd. An qual opportYnrty tmp1ovrr .
processes and technology -an approach that allows you to
make an impact from the ground up.
YOU'll receive first-rate training and guidanC1!. and
exposure to a variety of projects and industries. All of
which builds a solid foundation for the yeats ahead.
Our business is shaping the future. $0 why not come
talk to us about hoW, together, we can help shape yours.

The Iron Warrior Fnday. October 1, 1999
Visit our Web site at www.ac.eom
It's all about making an impact.
7r Andersen
LI. Consulting
Andersen
Consulting
'To-the-Poi nt'
known as code-division multiple acce (CDMA).
Ericsson does not make a CDMA phone. Dataquest ana-
lyst speculate that the digital wirele phone market,
boosted by the CDMA standard, could grow by 125 per-
cent in 1999.
Based on "Sales of digital wireless phone fO e in first
quarter, with Nokia in lead," by Quentin Hardy, The Wall
Street Journal, 12 July 1999, p. A 22.
CDNow and Columbia House to join
Time Warner and Sony, joint owners of the music and
video direct-marketing business Columbia House, agreed
to merge that business with CDNow, the struggling online
music store. The unnamed venture will sell music and
video from all labels and by the end of the year offer
music that can be downloaded directly from the Internet.
Under the deal Time Warner and Sony will each own 37
percent of the new company and CDNow shareholders
will own the remaining 26 percent. Officials from all the
companies hope the merger will allow CDNow, which is
having trouble reaching profitability, better compete with
rivals like Amazon.com. Critics argue that while it makes
sense for CDNow to ally with major record labels,
Columbia House won't be able to offer much in the way of
either Internet experience or high profits.
Based on "Sony and Time Warner make music deal," by
Saul Hansell, The New York Times, 14 July 1999, p. C5;
"Wedding march for CDNow, Columbia Hou e," by
Martin Peers and Andrea Petersen, The Wall Street
Journal, 14 July 1999, p. B I. .
Companies report financial results
Intel (Document link not converted) reported second quar-
ter earnings of $1.75 billion, up from $1.17 billion in the
year-prior period. Revenues were up 14 percent to $6.75
billion, but were well below analysts' expectations.
Company officials say the disappointment was due to
drastic price cuts in an effort to take back control of the
chip market for low-cost personal computers (PCs).
Yahoo! reported . econd quarter 10 . es of 15. 1 million.
compared with 14.2 million a year ago. Analyst ' . how-
ever, point out that the 10. e. reflect 55 million in
charges related to acqui ition . and that the ' ompany's
operating income wa 28.3 million. Revenue. ro, e 156
percent to $115.2 million. Industry foreca;ter. ay
Yahoo!'s gain re ulted in part from it. fayacqui ition of
Geocities.
Motorola (Document link not converted) announced ec-
ond quarter earning of $273 million, compared with 10 -
es of $1.33 billion in the year-earlier quarter. Revenues
jumped to $7.51 billion from $7.02 billion. Motorola offi-
cials say improved world economie. and internal cost-cut-
ting measures were re ponsible for the
better-than-expected results.
Ameritrade reported third quarter earning of $8.9 mil-
lion, up from $5.9 million a year ago. Revenue ro e to
$78.1 million from $39.6 million. Analy t ay the
improvement is tainted by the fact that most of the rev-
enue came in April , while May and June were very slow
in comparison.
Based on "Intel posts earnings below expectations," by
Dean Takahashi, The Wall Street Journal , 14 July 1999, p.
A3; "Yahoo! posts a 2d quarter that surpasses expecta-
tions," Saul Hansell, The New York Times, 8 July 1999, p.
C 1; "Motorola's net of $206 million tops forecasts, revers-
es losses," George Anders, The Wall Street Journal , 14
July 1999, p. B6; " Ameritrade profi t surges by 50%, beat-
ing estimates," Rebecca Buckman, The Wall Street
Journal , 13 July 1999, p. C21.
Disney to buy majority of Infoseek
Disney announced it will buy a majority stake in Infoseek
in order to strengthen its Internet position. Disney hopes
to correct problems associated with its earlier online
efforts, while providing more profit to stockholders who
have had to suffer through recent times in the ailing enter-
tainment area of Disne 's busines. Disney has also had
trounlc offering . tock options 10 potential employee --
which con olidation of the online units hould resolve.
The reo nit of the large stake will be the formation of a
more integrated unit that Di ney hopes will be able to
com pet with larger Internet players like America Online
and Yaho !.
Based on "Disney agree, to buy majority take in
Info eek," by Bruce OrwalI. The Wall Street Journal, 13
July 1999, p. 87.
Growing PC market in China
Low-priced per, onal computers (PCs) for the home are
the fa test growing sect9r for China's booming computer
market, up 800,000 units (80 percent) from last year.
China Great Wall Computers make up a third of the
China's PC sale., with each of it PCs priced at around
$600. Sea-, tar Modem Science and Technology and Start
Comp Group have recently entered the PC market in
China. Analysts ay 46 percent of PC buyers are parents
trying to give their children an educational advantage.
Based on "Chinese Consumers are new market for PCs,"
by Le lie Chang, The Wall Street Jouma1, 19 August
1999.
Studio will initially release feature film on Internet
Next May, Metafilmics will release a feature film on the
Internet, one of the fir t to be made specificaJIy for
Internet distribution. "The Quantum Project" will be dis-
tributed by Sightsound.com, a Web sile which wi ll charge
a few dollars for a limited-time viewing with the option of
a more expensive permanent purchase. The fi lm--a live-
action feature with computer-generated animation--will
be longer than 40 minutes, bUllO minimize download time
will not be as long as a typical full-length movie.
Based on "Feature film to be produced for release on
Web," by Andrew Pollack, The New York Times, 24
August 1999, p. CI.
All we'd like to do is shake up your thinking and
broaden your outlook. Then ifs your tum.
Andersen Consulting Career Day. October 13, Student ute Centre. an all-day event featuring:
- eCommerce Presentation, 10:00 a.m. &2:00 p.m.
- "Workforce of the Future-, 12:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.
Applications due October 20 to Needles Hall. Interviews on Campus. November 1-3, Needles Hall.
People who look at things from all sides hIVe 1M
ability to gain a whole perspective. As a ltading
global rnanagetMIIt and technology consulting
organization, those art just the kind of thinkers we'rt
looking for.
After all, we use fresh insights to help clients develop
strategies that deliver profound change. We work with
them to unlock their potential for success by aligning
strategy with people. processes and technology-an
01998 Al\d(rscn Consulting. All rights meMd. All tqual opportunity
approach that allows you to make an impact from tM
ground up.
We'" provide first-rak training and guidance, and
exposure to a variety of projects and industries. All of
which builds a solid foundation for your future.
Don't miss tM chance to hear more about a career
with Anda'sen Consulting. If you'rt seeking the
unexpected, we'll be expecting you.
Visit our Web site at www.K.com
It's all about making an Impact.
lc Andersen
il Consulting
The Iron Warrior Friday. October 1. 1999

'.
~
Annal
Gosia Garus
2B Systems
Week 1:
This week, I began to commule for the first time in my
life. Driving seems to be fun . There are so many friend-
ly people all around. Canadians really do seem to be such
polite people, truly deserving of our reputation. Every
morning the orderly procession of automobiles of all
sorts, files toward the highway. One by one each car,
truck and van waits its lurn to get on or get off the road or
highway they are currently on. The glory of it all! Such
organization! Such obedience! The women and elderl y
drivers especially seem to be most courteous in their dri-
ving habits. I believe I will truly enjoy these morning dri -
ves to work, allocating time for me to think about the day
ahead, or the day just passed. Yes, this will surely be a
time for quiet reflection, meditation and relaxation.
Week 2:
This week has been slightly more hectic than the last.
Perhaps the increasingly fast paced work environment I
have been thrust into has made me more solicitous about
everything around me. Monday seemed to go well, but
Tuesday I was given quite a shock. Attempting to merge
into traffic on the 40 I, 1 was cut off by some gentleman in
an old Buick. He must have not seen me, for surely he
could not have intended to force me to practically hit the
guide rail when all he had to do was slow down 10 krn or
so to allow me to merge with traffic. I believe I found
myself close to uttering some obscenity at this gentleman,
which would have surely been a most odious response.
Week 3:
Three times this week I have been cut off! Are these
o 0&
people not watching where they are going? Do they
require their sight to be examined, or perhaps they should
be required to take driving to I again? How did these peo-
ple get a licence? Is it truly that difficult to glance in the
side-view mirror and check your blind spot before chang-
ing lanes? I suppose signaling when changing lanes
would be an extortionately difficult task of hand-eye co-
ordination, eh?
Week 4:
These people are incorrigible! Is it truly necessary to
drive so slowly? Here we are, going 100 in an 80 zone. If
you're that afraid of driving at a speed above 100, stay at
home for heaven's sake. Could someone also explain to
these banal idiots what the purpose of the 'passing lane' i ?
It is to pass drivers like you, you phlegmatic, good for
nothing, si y drivers! If everyone el e wants to drive 120
in the 80 zone, we have a right to. Your imbecilic, delud-
ed belief of averting more carnage on the roads by forcing
u to drive slower only leads to more accidents. Please
drive in the right lane. Let me pass you!
Week 5:
If I were living in the glorious, magnificent nation of
the United States of America I would surely carry a semi-
automatic rifle. Everyone of you bastards that keep cut-
ting me off, driving low in the fast lane, or better yet,
cutting in front of you only to suddenly drive 40 kmlhr
slower than before, would get a couple of bullets straight
into their heads. But no! I live in pleasant Canada where
that would be illegal. I am forced to drive along side these
specious Canadians, inexorably trying to piss me off!
Could everyone drive a li ttle more like me? When the
light turns green, GO! And for the love of God, when
there is over 3 krn of cars waiting to make a left turn onto
Eglington from the Allen Expressway and you are the first
in line, do not take 3 seconds to pick your nose, examine
what you have found inside, and then slowly begin to roll
along, ensuring at least 15 cars that could have already
turned by then are forced to wait 5 more minutes for the
next light.
Week 6:
I truly believe my new job here at Rolling Meadows
will do me good. The doctor said I really need to take
'time off from the stresses of daily life'. Although at first
I did not agree, and was forced to stay in bed with those
Velcro restraints, I now admit that I am feeling much bet-
ter. It was a silly thing to do, running that elderly man off
the road. I am secretly still certain it was for the benefit
of everyone involved; I put him out of his mi ery, and
helped the good drivers out there by getting rid of one
more slow driver. The doctor believes that I can make a
full recovery within a couple of years, if I avoid any con-
tact with automobiles of any art. According to him, I
have a proclivity to aggressive and psychopathic driving;
'Road Rage' is the common term he gave me. I am learn-
ing new ways to release my anger every day: counting to
ten, breathing deepJy, picturing scenes of nature. I might
have left Rolling Meadows two months ago had it not
been for that unfortunate incident in line in the cafeteria
where I attacked the lady in front of me with my tray for
taking too long to decide between the chicken and the
beef. (The doctor says I must have had a flash back to a
time when that woman driver took too long to decide
where she must tum and I began ramming her in from
behind with my car: 'suppressed anger'.) What keeps me
going is the vision of final revenge I am plotting every day
in my room. I call it traffic chopper meets Rambo! Safe
Driving Everyone!
Those Scary Numbers
Peter Cresswell
2B Systems
A
s an engineer, I'm usually amazed by numbers. I
admit it. Sometimes they can really grab me;
sometimes even scmc you. Now the numbers I'm
talking aboul have nothing to do with your textbooks so
don't worry, you can keep reading. No, the numbers I'm
lalking about arc pretty straightforward so no need to
worry. Well, Ok, maybe worry a little.
"Ontario judged 2nd-worst polluter" - by Brian
McAndrew, The Toronto Star. August 11, 1999
Usually finishing second is a pretty good thing. The
number 2 is usual ly not too bad. This time, however, sec-
ond place is pretty dam embarrassing. The Details: The
study which Mr. McAndrew is reporting on, called
"Taking Stock", was conducted by an environmental
watchdog, established under the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFfA), called The Commission for
Environmental Co-operation. The commission found that
Ontario, which produced 68 million Kilograms of pollu-
tion in 1996, ranked as the second worst polluter in North
America. Indeed, the average
.-------------------------------, Canadian industrial facili ty produces
Uni-.iIy ofW1L<r1oo
Faculty of U ~ c OffICe
FIC1lIIy Excu. 0If.cc
" Exchange Week "
October 5 to 8
Interested in finding out about engineering exchange programs?
Come and talk with UW students who have been
on engineering exchange !
11:30 am -1:30 pm, Tuesday thru Friday
CPU Foyer, outside POETS
**********
Different countries featured every day!
Tuesday, Oct Sib:
Wednesday, Oct 6":
Japan, South Korea, Singapore
Gennany

Thursday, Oct 7
1h
:
Friday, Oct 8
111
:
France, Switzerland, Denmark, Holland, Sweden
Australia, England, Ireland

Info about exchanges is also available on the WEB:
http://www.eng.uwaterloo.calgroupslexchangel
The I ron Warrior Friday. October 1. 1999
1.5 times more pollution than an
American plant. So now the num-
bers got me a little worried. But it
must get better. Surely we got our-
selves a plan, right? Not likely. The
kicker: When asked for a comment
on the report, Tony Clement, the
environment minister, had a rather
scary response. "r find it improbable
that we are the second-worst polluter
in North America" said Mr. Clement. Apparently he is
pretty amazed by the numbers too. He's probably in shock
or something. He doesn't even believe them! "I'm not say-
ing we're perfect... But to say we're near the bottom is not
something Ontarians intuitively believe nor do I believe it
either". These crazy numbers have down right knocked
the sense out of him. Apparently, when faced with what is,
by all accounts, a reasonably non-partisan, non-bias sur-
vey, Mr. Clement finds that sticking his head in the ground
is the best answer. What a concept! Just stuck it right in
there. I wonder, as an engineer, if I took that very same
approach if] could find the same reassuring feeling that
Mr. Clement seems to find in it. I can see it now "No
Professor X, I just don't believe you. That just can't be
right." I'd say, right before running out of the class to find
some nice school yard sandpit. Ah, yes, school would be
greatly simplified. Except for that pesky problem of
cleaning out the sand from my ears. But hey, there have
to be trade-offs somewhere. Maybe Mr. Clement might
be nice enough to share some tips. Yep, numbers are scary
sometimes. The number 2 in this case was particularly
scary. But a word of advice: keep your head above
ground. Numbers 3 through 45 can be pretty scary too.
Especially on a report card.
The Shadow Hunter
Just when I start to wake up
Every morning I watch as
Night comes
Nearer I hear the
Shadows coming in my sleep
Haunting my dreams
As I try and run
Never quite eluding its grasp
Next time I fear it will consume me
Overwhelm me
But I will not give up
Never!
Seconds
'ust a little bit made me think.
'ust a little bit made me want a little
more.
'ust another piece of the pie.
Please?
I regret her.
She ate me alive.
But
I am ea t adrift
in the raging sea of life
no anchor of reality to hold me
no rock of practicality to cHing to
The euphoria of surrender
to the primordial es. ence of existence
A front row seat for observing
the torrential beauty of the universe
But all things are relative,
euphoria, surrender, beauty.
All perspectives are unique
and infinite in their capacity
for exploring the mysterious world
What is illusion and what is real?
The answer to both is everything ...
when looked at in the correct way.
Boundaries dissolve
distinctions fade
and all is one ...
is nothing
Mat Pigozzo
If aliens are smart enough to ts years away,
why do they always abduct the stupidest people?
Tania Bortolon
The Iron Warrior Friday, October 1, 1999

..
en
Melissa Bond
President
H
i everyone, and welcome back. This term we have
the largest Engineering Society ever, thanks to the
nine hundred and fifty or so frosh that made the
right decision and joined us here at Waterloo. If the
turnout at the B.O.T. is any indication, we are in for an
awesome term.
This term is packcd with great events, including the
infamous Havenger Scunt, hosted by 2B Electrical, a trip
Jenny Mitchell
VP External
W
elcome to Fall '99 everyone! My name is Jenny
Mitchell and [ will be your from
now until the end of August. ThiS tenn promiS-
es to be an exciting and congested one with all of our new
members ... 926 of them to be exact. Well, as you're hop-
ping from computer lab to computer lab, trying to find an
unoccupied workstation, feel free to stop in at the Orifice
and say hi.
Since I was elected in March of 1999, you're probably
wondering what I've been doing all this time. Well, my
first official duty a VP-X of B Soc was to attend the
ESSCO Annual General Meeting in June. The AGM is an
opportunity for the Engineering Schools across Ontario to
exchange ideas and to mandate the ESSCO Executive to
do lots of great things that will benefit each and every one
of you. One of the main topics of this conference was
VP-Internal
Alex Matan
2B Efec
VP-Internal
Amn Levitz
38 Mech
H
i everyone! I hope everyone had a fun-infested
summer. I shall begin my spew by explaining the
current VP-I . ituation. Sabrina Cannistraro, the
VP-I you elected in winter term, stepped down over the
work term. Nominations for a new VP-J were announced
on the first day of classes this term and closed the Friday
of that week. Two people submitted nominations, Aron
Levitz (SuperHuge, 3B Mech, C-razy Guy), and myself
(Indigo Huge, 2B Elec & Arts, etc.), and we decided that
we would like to share the position of VP-I rather than
compete for the job in the customary Engineering
Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mike Hermann, the
Speaker of the Engineering Society Council and therefore
ultimate interpreter of the Engineering Society
Constitution, concluded that this idea was all fine and
dandy. Mike was involved in a car accident the morning
of the first counciJ meeting, and Chris Foster was appoint-
ed to be his temporary replacement. Chris had no prob-
lems with the idea of two VP-Is, so it was still all nice and
legal. At the council meeting, a motion to ratify Aron and
myself as co- VP-IntemaJs was passed without objection,
which was eventually followed by the EngSoc exec mem-
bers revealing their Orange Frosh 1996 regalia and doing
the Juicy dance .
soc re
to Canada's Wonderland, a (new-this-term) running club,
amazing speakers for Bridging the Gap (the first one is
about forensic engineering), a huge Tal Eng, complete
with prizes, and of course mudbowl. You will probably be
noticing some changes around the Orifice (CPH 1327),
these changes are designed to make the Engineering
Society Office and its services more accessible to you.
Some things to look forward to include a computer for
directors to do their work on, updates of the exam folders
(we don't think the 1982 exam material is relevant any-
more), and a binding machine that is yours to use. You
will also notice that there i now a display case outside the
Orifice. Check the calendar and corkboard behind it on a
regular basis, this is where you will find information on all
Engineering Society events.
PEO Student membership (which will be further
addressed at the PEO Conference later this month).
Speaking of conferences, here is a list of all the
upcoming conferences for the term:
PEOIlJES: October 21-24 (Ottawa)
Women in Engineering: October 29-30 (Kingston)
ESSCofique: November 12-14 (Montreal)
CCES: January 3-9 (Winnipeg)
ESSCO'lympics: late January/early February (Toronto)
FYIC: (TBA)
ESSCO AGM: early June (Guelph)
Applications for all of these conferences are being
accepted right now! The application forms can be found
in the orifice and at the EngSoc website (www.eng.uwa- .
terloo.calgroups/engsocl). PEO/UES and Women in
Engineering applications are due by 3pm Friday October
1, 1999 (TODAY!) and all others are due on Monday
October 25, 1999 (including the conferences held in the
winter and summer). If you have any questions regarding
the appli cations or the conferences them elves, feel free to
contact me (ja2mitch@engmail).
The job of a VP-I, according to my resume, includes:
- Responsible for ensuring quality of stuGent ervices pro-
vided by the ociety
- Support directors and occasional volunteers organizing
events and activities
- Develop policies and strategies with other officers in
executive meetings
- Co-ordinate scheduling of events to prevent conflicts
Aron and myself met to divide up these numerous and
sundry re ponsibilities of VP-I according to our interests
and alleged capabilities. For the most part, Aron will be
handling stuff related to events, and I will handle student
service. Stuff that one of us is particularly interested in,
or that didn't tit into one category or the other, was appor-
tioned according to a complex formula, the derivation of
which would lead to world anarchy.
Upcorrting VP-I related events and things include the
Wonderland trip on October 3, Oktoberfe t ticket sales, a
probable AHS-Engineering night, the Quebec City New
Year's trip, and other shenanigans. If there is some sort of
event, activity, or service that you would like to see (or see
improved), let us know.
If you wish to meet with us, you can schedule an
appointment bye-mailing one of us, see us during our
office hours in Poets on Friday afternoons, or informally
chat with us during Alex and Aron (or Aron and Alex)
Night at Mongolian Grill restaurant - Mondays from 8:30
p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
If you have any questions, comments, or hate mail,
you can e-mail us at amatan@engmail or alevitz@eng-
mail. We are both glutton for punishment, and we look
forward to doing the best job we can. Have a great term,
and we hope that you take part in all the stuff that EngSoc
has to offer.

The Iron Warrior Friday. October' 1. 1999
ort
Ryan Stammers and 1 attended a workshop hosted by
the Feds on the 'double cohort' issue last weekend. The
'double cohort' will occur in 2003, when the province of
Ontario eliminates O.A.c. Therefore, roughly double the
usuaJ amount of students will be applying to universities
that faJl. The workshop included executive members from
all the societies and councils on campus. We are trying to
come up with recommendations to give to the Univer ity
that will ensure that the entrance standards won't be great-
ly affected by this transition.
I would like to say congratulations to all the leaders
that participated in Frosh Week this year. Thank you for
all your hard work, it was a great week.
Good Juck with the term, and have fun!
I also wanted to inform you that Project Magazine (the
ational Magazine for Engineering students) is encourag-
ing submittal of articles (400-600 words). If your article
is chosen and printed, you receive a $50 prize! Letters to
the Editor are also encouraged. Where possible, please
make submissions in both French and Anglais. Any ques-
tions can be directed to the Editor, Jarret Diggins (diggin-
sj@i 2.daJ.ca).
Finally, 1 just wanted to remind you about the
Bridging the Gap lecture series. The first gue t speaker
will be discussing the science of forensics ofi Tuesday
October 5 at 11 :30am. There are two other speakers
cheduled, with topics including handling your finances
a students and recent grads, and working in industry as
an engineer. Look for posters and announcements regard-
ing the specific details. Questions or comments can be
directed either towards me, or the 'Bridging the Gap'
director, Patricia O'Donnell (who, by the way, has done
an awesome job!).
That just about wraps things up for now. Again, any
questions, comments, jokes, or recipes can be directed to
me anytime, free of charge.
VP-Finance
__ _
Jon Bastien
H
ey there, everybody. I'm Jon Bastien, or Jonboy if
you're so inclined. I will be your President
of Finance for the next two academiC terms. As
VPF, I have the responsibility of creating and maintaining
the ENGineering SOCiety budget, dispersing and receiv-
ing all moneys for the society and other tasks that I'm not
even aware of yet. For tho e of you who haven't been
around lately, 1 was just recently appointed to this role on
the executive council for the Engineering Society. Thus,
you'll need to be patient with me for the first couple
weeks while I become accu tomed to my new position.
Al! the same, if you have any questions please don't hesi-
tate to ask. I may not have all the answers currently, but I
will soon. Plus, if you ask, I'll have to go find the answer,
and that will speed along the process just that much more.
The only new point of business I have for the moment is
directors' budgets. By the time you read this, the budgets
should be complete. If you have any concerns or com-
ments about the budgeting process, or the amount which
you (as a director) have been awarded, please contact me.
Other than that, I look forward to helping keep the
Engineering Society not only fun, but financially sound.
By -the way, does anyone have a small buffalo, a nine iron
and a can of whip cream? Just wondering.
Ryan Stammers
VP Educalion
A Tale Of Thition
Sometime during the ummer mo t of u arranged
for the payment of a large tuition bill for the fall tenn.
For most of the 19% increa e wa a noticeable and
unwelcome change. Balancing the ometime con-
flicting objectives of acce ible education and excel-
lent education has become all but impo ible in the
face of shifting government pending priorities. If all
this leaves you wondering what you can do about the
cost of your education. drop by a Tuition Ta k Force
meeting held in SLC 2134 Tuesdays at 4:30 pm. It,s a
FEDS student group working on the tuition issue in
advance of the decision for 2000-2001 tuition levels
Quick Bits
that will orne during the \\-'inter 2000 tern) . For
more infonnation. email me at jr, lamme a eng-
mail.uwat rloo.ca.
Come By The Orifice
Have any education reI at concern. ? My offi e
hours are MWF 11:30 - I :30 pm.
Ready, Set, Co-op!
Good luck job hunters. e pe iall first timers.
With more co-op student than ever. the aging a CC$,
computer y tem can be fru. trating at tume , The ear-
lie t time that a repla emem will be available i.
2000. If the co-op proces i n't going smoothly for
you. don't he itate to comBct me.
EngSoc Meeting One
Review
W
ne Great
Open to all of engineering, soon to be open to all of campus: Tlip to
Mount St Anne in Quebec from December 28th to January 2nd. Cost
is $400 for transportation and lodging for five nights. Additional $100
provides a four day ski pass. Only 400 total spots are available. Betty
in the Oriface (The Engineering Society Office in CPH) will have
more information.
Company
When You
Can JOin
Task Team
Director
Stephanie Ho
W
hat 's the 'Task Team',? The Tn k. Team is a great way
for those who want to be active in EngSoc, yet don't
wunt the respon ibility of having a Director hip or
Cia s Rep position. igning up doesn't mean you have to com-
mit to an thing. Your name is added 10 a Ii I of interested tu-
dents who are contacted for a:sistance when variou events are
being run throughout th lcnn. Whether you participate i your
choice. If )OU have time and are interested. wh) not?!
For those who want more info. a brief organizational meet-
ing will be held soon in POET . Exact date 10 b' delernlined.
but there' , rumors of candy being present, so watch for mor
info.
Any Directors who \ ant to reach me to gct help running an
e,'enl can do so at my cngmail addres , which i. 8ho@eng-
mail.uwaterloo.ca.
IfYOIl \"lIlt to join. omp;lllY wI! rcoul '
po. ,11(' IIlllimilCrl, yO\1're :;11I:ut I()
COI1Sirll'l Ihis is place wht.'fc } 011 on
changt.' jobs. indu'Irit" . ('\'('11
change (,lie r <lilt, .Iion. withmn (,VCl'
ch,lnging companies.
Our di\'CTh . bLl illcs creatt.' <\ blOad faIlge or
OppOltlllltly - from aircraft engines and medKal
lechnolog), to indu trial y.tcms, fmanciaJ
Deadline for sign up is November 1st.
E-mail Aron Levitz at alevitz@engmail.uwaterloo.ca for further infor-
mation.
Many?
. en;ces, informalion tcchnology and PO\\T('I
)'Stems. And ill '\'('ry we're
on lhe It'ading edge, dliving brcakthroughs
with dplarnic illllo\l;\60n.
A couple buses wiJl be travelhng up to Canada's Wonderland on
October 3rd for the day. If interested, sign up with Betty in the Orifice.
Cost: $25, or $8 if you have a season pass.
The Electrical Engineering Class of 2002 presented a check of $150
from last tenns P**5 winnings to the Charity Director, Liz Parry.
Many directorships still open and need filling. Sign up sheets available
in the Orifice.
See Aron Levitz (alevitz@engmail.uwaterloo.ca) for more details.
Copies of the new "The Book" are avaijable in the Orifice for those
wishing to purchase the. Cost is fifteen dollars. The Book include day
planner (re-fill heets for new calendar years will be available) with
many EngSoc events detailed on them (as per the old Blotter). Further,
many useful reference sections (on engineering in general and each of
the specific disciplines) are also included. All in all a u, eful thing 10
have around.
(Excerpts from meetingl minutes)
Learn about us at ."
www.ge.com ..
lryoll'r an Enginct'nng stud 'Ill ill your final
ycar of limd)' and you arc motivated to slIe ecd
with a world leader, wc'd like to meet with YOI1.
GE Canada Information Session
October 5th, 1999 - 5:00p.m.
University Club
University of Waterloo, Ontario
We bring good things to Ii/! .
The Iron Warrior Friday. October 1. 1999

en
w
a..
o
o
en
o
a::
o
J:
Nick Gaganiaras 0 ?
28 Mech
Aquarius (January 21-February 18):
Well , what do you want to know? That's right,
nothing. Just give up. It' s not worth it anymore.
You've dealt with so ,ffiucQ over the last three weeks
that you've reach yoot .... -'itpit.f',ill\ up that special
someone who has iau cd y{)u' sO/much grief and
give them a piece of your Better yet, give
them all of it. That way, you'll have an excuse when
you forget your assignment at home.
Pisces (19 February-March 20):
Run! You're going to miss the bus. Don't worry
too much if you do. There'll be another one by in
about 15 the,... of your life:
another Capitalize on
these opportunitie" YQu can. You never
know when they m1 run drS: _Then you'll be
-. -' ........
forced to buy ideditf'fom idea riCh-l"Eople. When thi s
starts happening, the price of ideas will go up and
thi s column will disappear due to financial

Aries (March 21-April 20):
So, you think that you can away from every-
thing that ea y, ejt1 Weil,l'n let you in on a little
secret everybody' sit;k ired of your games.
Stop trying to fool your If d open your eyes. You
can only burn so many dg s before you lind your-
self alone. Don't let it h n. Then you'll be forced
to build tunnel s and undermine all those around you.
Gemini (May 22-June 21):
What, you w.e!e expecti.r!$ an insightful com-
ment from m .' for you! It ain't
gonna be luck next time
around. "....Y /
" ''''-'''' .tJI"

The life you live is like the and flowing
between your fingeiS:A. - gj.ven moment, you
control your Ii y od the even flow of
the sand or cut it Qfi ldtel though,
there is only s "JTtUCh.sand that>-1:an flow between
your fingers. There is so much more that lays dor-
mant.
Leo (July 23-August 23):
Bells. That's pretty ... all I have to say
about your future. closer. And
closer. infernal ringing
in my head. Please, make
lhem stop. 1 beg of mercy.
Libra (September 23-0ctober 23):
The key to your future is helving. It' great You
can store everything and anything on it. So, to make
your life a more pl.eas<m.! experience, get yourself
some shelves anM 'ttb-ing. Just think. if you
run out of s u can go get anoth-
er. Running -f hot leep on a shelf
and get rid of your bed? There you go. ow you're
getting the idea.
Scorpio (October 24-November 22):
Learn to tie a tie properly. This imple skill will
no doubt pro '19I5e-Yo.ur downfall. If you already
know how. 00 .. ourself privilieged and get
over it. You , y qtlier things to learn, like
tying your I <Ie your tongue.
Sagittarius (November 23-December 21):
Why do you keep coming here for advice? You
know what you have f you haven't figured
out what you have 1'1 pell it out for you:
make a stew of :-to I " rogs legs and eye of
newt. Le minutes and sip while
chanting ed about earlier.

Capricorn (December 22-January 20):
Oh, yourself, who do
you think c'ihe\p .. yg'u:7 "./

i. ...,,'
11 I '
1:-./:
Textbooks.

Not Just for Reading Anymore
- A
.fithrOugh
your academic
life, from ele-
mentary
to university, one
thing remains
Jenny Mitchell
38 cnvimChem
ENVidiOl/S
lots of book and tons of books. Books
about words, books about numbers,
books about numbers that look like
words, and even books about other books.
It may . ound frightening, but welcome to
reality boys and girl. Human like
paper, especially when it' s held between
two cardboard cover . And one observa-
true - you will acquire books. Not just a few books, but
tion I've recently made is that as you advance to the next
grade or level , the amount of
paper between those two covers
BRIDGING THE GAP
LECTURE SERIES
Presents:
James F. Surowiak, M.Sc., P.Eng.
of
Walters Forensic Engineering (Kitchener I Waterloo Office)
Western Ontario Manager
FORENSIC ENGINEERING
What is it? Would I like it? How can I do it?"
Tuesday, October 5, 1999
11 :30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
CPH 3385
Presented by the Engineering Society and the Dean of Engineering.
The Bridging the Gap Lecture Series Is open to aU students. staff,
faculty and frlends_

The Iron WClrrior Friday. October 1. 1999
increases. Yes, your books will
get bigger. The peculiar thing is
that they don't necessarily have
more content. Many have pages
containing useless information,
present only to distract or con-
fuse the reader. In university
texts, appendices labelled up to
'H' are not uncommon and ver-
bal diarrhoea is almost always a
I prerequisite before printing.
, Why is all this nece sary?
Unfortunately, it's not
always economically fea ible to
depart with some books. I pity
the fool who sells all his texts,
only to learn that they are need-
ed in another course the follow-
ing term or are required as
reference. After a couple ' of
years of university, you'll be
carting around a carload of 'ref-
erence material' as you move
from school to work to home
and back again.
Well, until those texts are
pulled off your shelve to be list-
ed in your lab write-up. why not
make ome better use out of
them? I've got three milk crates
(and counting) worth of books at
home tight now. so I've done a
little brain torming which I
thought I'd share with you. If
you hadn't noticed. the ize and
shape of a textbook omewhat
resembles a brick or a piece of Lego(tm) (okay, you may
have to use your imagination a little) . Well, just imagine
the possibilities once you have accumulated enough
books! You could build textbook furniture! ChairS,
table, maybe even a couch if you and your roommates
pool resources. A little duct tape later and voila! , sturdy
furniture that you can use to study - literally!
Books also make excellent doorstops or door wedges
(which are absolutely necessary if you ever plan on work-
ing in the Engineering buildings on a weekend). You
could al so use them for step stools, or to elevate your
computer monitor to a height that is ergonomically cor-
rect. For nature enthusiasts, a textbook can be used to
press flowers and leaves, or for killing spider and other
pe ky bugs you may find in your home. It's always a
delightful urprise to find pressed flowers in your text and
even more so when bug guts are found!
Out of dishes? No problem! If you don't care too
much about the condition of your textbook, it makes the
perfect serving dish! You can use it as a plate, a placemat,
or a 'laptop' TV table. You can also play some great games
with your texts; Frisbee being the first that comes to
mind. Minor damage may occur, but a little duct tape and
it's back to new (well, almost). If you collect enough texts
of approximately the same size, you could playa giant
game of Jenga(tm)! Ju t be sure to get out of the way
when the tower starts to fall ... remember those textbooks
are heavy!
So those are just a few ideas J was able to come up
with after spending years collecting the biggest and best
texts. Always remember, first and foremost, your text-
books are for learning (and for saving your butt at fLOals),
treat them with respect. But once they enter the 'resource
material' category do with them what you wish. Who said
learning couldn't be fun?
Any other textbook ideas? Let us know! Send your
uggestions to iwarrior@engmail.uwaterloo.ca
We're looking for thinkers. Not just their degrees.
Andersen Consulting Career Day, October 1 3, Student Ufe Centre, an all .... day event featuri ,ng:
- eCommerce Presentation. 10:00 a.m. a 2:00 p.m.
- of the Future" f 12 :00 p.m. a 4:00 p.m.
Applications due October 20 to Needles Hall. Interviews on Campus, November 1-3, Needles Hall.
You know you're more than a piece
of paper. You're bursting with ideas and
insights that can change the world of
business. And at Andersen Consulting,
we want them.
As a leading global management and
technology consulting organization. we
bring our insights and ideas to world-class
clients to help them achieve profound
'998 Andersen Consulting. All rights reJtIVtd. An tqual opportunity tmp/Oyfr
change. After all, it takes powerful ideas to
align strategy with people, processes and
technology.
We'll provide first-rate training and
guida,nce', and expose you to a variety of
projects and industries. All of which builds
a solid foundation for your future.
Take this opportunity to talk to us about
yourself, and most importantly. your ideas .
Visit our Web site at www.ac.com
Itls an about making an impact.
Andersen
Consulting
The Iron Warrior Friday, October 1. 1999
j
r

'-