Bell Media Launches New One-stop Car Resources Website, Autofocus.ca

December 27, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

On July 24, Bell Media announced the launch of their new Autofocus website, Autofocus.ca. The site offers research, review tools, and consumer resources in both English and French.

Whether you are a first time car buyer or an experienced gear head, Autofocus is built to enhance your car shopping experience in Canada. The easy-to-use and visually-pleasing website supplies helpful assistance auto experts, including advices and reviews, car buying tips and tricks, coverage of major auto shows, consumer reports, leasing and financing guides.

Autofocus also includes integrated research tools, user community profiles and social tools to help with the sometimes-overwhelming process of selecting a vehicle.

“Not every car buyer makes a purchase with the same level of knowledge or experience. With this in mind, Bell Media set out to build an automotive resource that offers a tailored car shopping experience with a best-in-class user interface,” said Catherine MacLeod, Senior Vice-President, Specialty Channels, Bell Media. “Informative and engaging, Autofocus is reinventing how people manage their car shopping experience. Autofocus is a valuable and convenient resource for Canadians making a new purchase, thinking about changing models, or just simply interested in cars.”

Autofocus has created a community of car owners helping each other make the best decision with the big purchase. Not every vehicle is suited for every person’s lifestyle and individual needs. With reviews, news, photos, videos and how to advices all in one location, Autofocus can help drivers find some wheels without any regrets and frustration.

Autofocus has picked out a team of auto experts and award-winning contributors and auto writers from Automobile Journalist Association of Canada: Jil McIntosh, Antoine Joubert, Matt Bubbers, Nadine Filion, Benoit Charette, Daniel Rufiange, and Howard Elmer. With their expertise and guidance you’ll be able to hit the road and get where you need to be without any detours—at least none in the purchasing process.

Android Users Can Now Channel Surf with Telus’ New Optik TV Remote App

December 27, 2013December 27, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

This week, the Optik Smart Remote app developed by Telus became available for Android devices.

Searching for quality television can often be an ordeal. You often leap from one channel to the next without ever settling on anything. You mash the buttons on your remote, scrolling down the guide hoping that something of quality would appear—maybe it does or maybe it doesn’t, but either way what was supposed to be a relaxing evening on the couch becomes a stressful, indecisive night.

Telus Opitk Smart Remote app will replace the traditional guide on the TV. Instead of using the remote control that came with the television or the digital box, you can simply swipe your Android phone and browse the guide and tap on your desired channel to watch your show.

Optik Smart Remote app allows you to track your favourite shows and see what is the most popular. You will also be able to navigate through the interactive program guide on your device, search IMDB, Wikipedia and Youtube without interruption.

“With Optik Smart Remote, it’s quick and easy to find the best thing to watch—and it’s now available for both Apple and Android devices,” said David Fuller, Telus’ chief marketing officer. “Our goal is to continue providing our Optik TV customers with a richer TV experience. Optik Smart Remote takes that experience to the next level. A tap or swipe of the fingers on your smartphone or tablet lets you control your TV without interrupting or missing a moment of your favourite program, plus you can easily set and manage your recordings at home or on the go, meaning you won’t miss out on any of your favourite shows even if you’re away from home.”

The free app is now available for Apple and Android devices and contains multiple enhancements, including new channel scroll bar, PVR recording enhancement that gives users the capability to filter and sort shows by dates, series or titles.

Currently Telus Optik TV offers over 620 channels, including 160 HD channels.

The waiting game

December 27, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Popular courses force students into waiting list purgatory

By Elliot Chan, Staff Reporter

Formerly published in the Other Press. Sept. 6, 2013

Before each semester, students rally for a good registration spot and a seat in the classes of their choice. The problem is, popular and prerequisite courses are attractive. With limited space in each class, students who register late or have a later registration date often miss the cut-off of around 37 students per class. This leaves many abandoning the prospect and applying for less appealing or relevant courses, thus prolonging their time at Douglas and other post-secondary institutions.

Watching your ranking on a waiting list is a frustrating ordeal. Once on a waiting list, Douglas College recommends that students check their status daily and drop themselves from the list if they lose interest.

Although the system at Douglas tries to be as fair as possible, the result may not always be favourable. Odds are you’ve already figured out whether you’ll be attending a course or not, but if you missed the chance this time, here are some tips to avoid the same outcome next semester.

“If students want a better registration time, they will need a better GPA,” the registrar’s office suggests. “They should also register on the day to avoid disappointment—and even then sometimes courses just fill up.”

Popular classes like Biology 1103 often reach the waiting list maximum of 100 students. After the first week, the waiting list shrinks to around 60-70. Even so, the prospect for attending the class becomes rather daunting.

The registrar’s office recommends that students on a waiting list attend the first day of class and email the course’s instructor. Most professors won’t mind students sitting in on the inaugural class while they gauge interest, potential for dropouts, and ability to increase workload. It is then the instructors’ choice to override the class limit or stay the course.

When sitting in on a class, it is important to respect the other students who have already registered and paid for the course. Understanding that the room may already be full, common courtesy is often a better route than eagerness. Speak with the instructor, let them know your condition, and accept a seat if one is offered for the time being.

If the instructor ends up offering you a seat in the course, you must pay the tuition immediately: i.e. 23.75 hours after the offer has been sent. Failure to do so will drop you off the list completely.

Planning ahead of time will give you an upper hand when it comes to getting the most beneficial courses. Research the courses you want to take and mark down the registration time, tuition fee payment deadlines, and any important dates to consider in relation to the course(s).

Registration for Winter Semester 2014 goes from November 14 to 28, 2013, with the tuition fee payment deadline for domestic students on December 9, 2013. Classes commence in the New Year on January 6, 2014.

Textbooks: the other tuition

December 27, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

The relationship between students and their textbooks

By Elliot Chan, Staff Reporter

Formerly published in the Other Press. Aug. 13, 2013

As Douglas College classrooms fill up for a new academic year, students are emptying out their wallets for the exact same reason. Regardless of how much students organize their educational finances, the textbook monopoly will take a big chunk out of their limited funds. It’s the way the game is played—but are textbooks a good investment, or are they simply a luxury tax? A 900-page burden, or an instructional baton waiting to be passed on to the next wary student seeking discounts?

Postings for used textbooks cover the bulletin board on the first floor at the New Westminster campus. It’s obvious that most students have little intention of keeping their expensive textbooks for future reference. Students are simply doing what students do best—being obedient.

“I want to spend as little as possible,” said third-year business student Haleen Mullhi. “But I’ll end up spending between $300 and $400, which adds up to $2,000 each semester.”

Music and accounting have consistently produced some of the priciest textbooks in the store. But the bookstore itself only receives a 25 per cent margin, which Ryan Hill, bookstore supervisor, considers low.

“We are retail, but we are also a service department in the college,” said Hill. “After covering shipping and overhead, the bookstore makes a low profit.”

It’s not always easy to see the gain in textbooks when all you hear about are students trying to offload them and the bookstores accepting refunds.

When asked whether or not she will sell her textbook at the end of semester, Mullhi confidently said, “Yes, I’ll post it out on the board and see if anyone wants them.”

Students don’t have many options when the course is done. The textbooks age and become irrelevant, so even though they might not be studying marketing, they still have to be salespeople and attempt to make some money back while clearing off their bookshelves. Many consider open postings on the bulletin board, but be forewarned: although that option might feel like a free-for-all, it can also be a stressful bidding war. Buybacks are the alternative, but students often find the compromise of 10 per cent or less insulting—that’s if the bookstore even decides to take it back.

“We don’t run any stats, so it is tough to say which program has the most textbooks returned,” said Hill. “It is all pretty balanced, because I believe most students have the same mentality—rather they have found another source or they dropped a class.”

The current refund policy only allows for students to return their books in the first month of the semester, within 14 days of their purchase. They must have the sales receipt and may need picture ID.

It’s difficult to tell which program yields the most returns, but Hill noticed that ESL textbooks often come back because of the language barrier and classes are commonly mistaken.

Although price is a deterrent, most students really don’t mind investing in a textbook if they know the course will put it to good use.

“If teachers actually read the textbook and assign homework from them,” said Joyce DesLauris, a first-year nursing student, “and give them credit—it would be worth having.”

Repeat in Russia

December 27, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Will Canada strike gold in Sochi 2014?

By Elliot Chan, Staff Writer

Formerly published in the Other Press. Aug. 6, 2013

Remember that day in February 2010? Remember the city—the country bursting with jubilation? Wouldn’t it be great to relive it?

Sure, the Olympics in Sochi is months away, but it’s never too early to talk about international hockey—especially since the NHL has now confirmed that its players will be able to compete in the prestigious tournament.

The most notable change in Sochi in comparison with Vancouver is the rink size. The two Canadian ice hockey gold medals in 2002 and 2010 were won on NHL-sized ice (61m by 26m). In Russia, the Canadians will be competing on international-sized ice, which is (61m by 30.5m). Rink sizes have posed challenges before, especially against speedy teams like Russia who can take advantage of the open ice.

The home team is the favourite going into the tournament, but Canada, Sweden, and the United States shouldn’t be intimidated by the jeers they’re expecting when they step onto the ice against superstars such as Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Ovechkin, and former NHLer turned KHLer Ilya Kovalchuk.

Since the days of the Soviet Union and the Unified Team in 1992, Russia itself has never won a gold medal. But there was a period in history when the red army dominated international ice. But like the Cold War, those days are long gone and though Russia has a barrage of talent, they haven’t been able to make the podium since 2002.

The question that hangs on everyone’s lips is will Canada be able to repeat? I hope I eat my own words, but I don’t believe they will. There hasn’t been an Olympic ice hockey repeat since the Soviets did it in the late ‘80s. Canada might be good, but we have never been dominant. The fact that we won in 2010 was not a miracle, but it was definitely a hard fought game that came down to one key moment. We could easily be talking about USA’s chance of repeating right now if it wasn’t for Sidney Crosby’s heroics.

In 2006, Canada followed up their gold medal victory in Salt Lake City with a demoralizing seventh place finish in Turin. By relying on players that had experience, but were way past their prime like Kris Draper, Adam Foote, and Todd Bertuzzi, the team was doomed from the start. Selecting the perfect team is difficult, since it’s about assigning roles to elite players. With Mike Babcock, head coach of Detroit Red Wings returning to serve another term as team Canada’s bench boss, the players and fans will know they are in good hands. Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, and Shea Weber can all be expected on the roster come February 12, 2014, but the number one goaltender is still unknown.

Martin Brodeur will also be stepping down this year from the international limelight. Roberto Luongo will likely get a few games just because of his reputation, while Carey Price, Cam Ward, and Marc-Andre Fleury will fight for the last two spots.

As excited as I am for the beginning of the NHL season, there is something about Olympic hockey that can make a grown man giddy. The NHL season will pause their schedule from February 9 to February 25 for what should be some epic games in the Motherland.

All eyes on new realignment

December 27, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

NHL’s new division format intensifies geographical rivalries

By Elliot Chan, Staff Writer.

Formerly published in the Other Press. Aug. 6, 2013

The Vancouver Canucks and the rest of the Western Conference are saying goodbye to Detroit and Columbus, and hello to the Winnipeg Jets.

This time last year, we were all anticipating a NHL lockout; the scenario this season is much more hopeful. As summer ends and the hockey season commences, all eyes are on the year-long experiment—the realignment. The NHL board of governors approved the new divisions and playoff format in July when the 2013/2014 schedule was released.

The Western Conference will now have 14 teams split geographically into the Pacific and Central divisions. The Eastern Conference will have 16 teams split into Atlantic and Metropolitan. The most significant change is Detroit joining the Atlantic division facing-off with three other original six teams, Montreal, Toronto, and Boston. Columbus and Winnipeg swapped conferences, with the Blue Jackets now playing in the Metropolitan division against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. The West Coast will get a few more chances to see the young Jets team and BC born players Evander Kane and Andrew Ladd.

The two main objectives for the realignment is to shorten travel times and build rivalries. It’s hard to see a downside to this change, since it was inevitable.

“It’s much better for us,” said Dallas Stars defenseman, Stephane Robidas. “It’s less travel, fewer trips out west—the time zones, the amount of time you spend on the plane after games. You don’t have to wait in [Los Angeles], you can come back after games. It’s all little things in the long run I think will help our team.”

The only two teams separated from their division in terms of geography are the two Florida teams. The Lightning and the Panthers are in the Atlantic division, but they have the whole Metropolitan division separating them from the rest of their division rivals.

“From a business standpoint, I think this is probably really good for both Florida teams,” said Commissioner Gary Bettman. “Competitively they may have their own issues, travel-wise they may have issues, but based on where Florida is from a geographic standpoint, whatever we did wasn’t going to be perfect.”

For the Canucks, it’ll be interesting seeing them battle for a post-season spot against consistent playoff contending teams such as the LA Kings, San Jose Sharks, and the Anaheim Ducks.

The Stanley Cup Playoff’s intensity may stay the same, but the route getting there is going to be slightly different. Eight teams in each division will make it to the post-season. The top three teams in each one will take the first 12 spots and the other four will try to land the wildcard position regardless of their divisions.

Though the stage for this season is set, many still see problems in the geographical layout of the league. The main problem lies in the Western Conference, where all the teams are scattered. I foresee (and hope) for a two-team expansion. Perhaps we will see another change next year with, dare I say it, a team in Seattle and Portland?

Smart phones for dummies

December 27, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Are smart phones a necessity or an addiction in school?

By Elliot Chan, Staff Writer

Formerly published in The Other Press. Aug. 6, 2013

Smart phone ownership has grown significantly in the past few years. In a survey conducted by Google, 56 per cent of adults are now using smart phones—a 33 per cent increase from last year.

This comes as a result of the way we live now. We wake up, roll out of bed, and instantly have our phone in our hands before a toothbrush or a cup of coffee. It might sound alarming to be so reliant on a device that commonly runs out of battery halfway through the day, but is it an addiction or is it a tool? Where does a smart phone rank with the other important things in our lives, especially for students?

Let’s admit it; most of us aren’t business executives conducting big money deals. Most students just use smart phone for casual communication and research.

“Smart phones are not really necessary for school,” said Jordan McChesney, an Asian Studies student. “All we really need is an Internet connection.” He added, “I intentionally leave my phone at home sometimes so I can’t be contacted. I can use Facebook messenger.”

Although some can detach themselves from a smart phone, others find the technology to be a multipurpose solution to everyday monotony. A smart phone is not a textbook. It is something we enjoy looking at, it is a relief for students during the trails of a school day.

“I cannot go on transit without my music,” said Chris Pereira, hospitality management student. “I’ve run home before and missed the bus.”

“It is an addiction for me,” admitted Solange Valverde, university-transfer student. “I use my phone a lot.”

Smart phones can be considered an addiction, but for now they are merely a lifestyle choice. Eight out of 10 smart phone users admit that they will not leave their house without their phone. The average smart phone user has approximately 30 apps installed and uses about 12 consistently in a month.

“It helps with involvement for sure,” said McChesney. “It helps with involvements in clubs and allows you to be more social. You can also use it to prove the teachers wrong.”

Although it may seem rude to be texting or scrolling through Facebook while in a real life conversation with someone else, nobody will condemn you for it—not yet, at least. We have already banned handheld devices while driving, in theatres, and in certain classrooms and workplaces, but when will we start treating it like a real addiction? No texting three metres in front of doorways, no tweeting at the dinner table, and no Instagramming during working hours— can there be any mitigation for smart phones’ eventual take over?

Technology is constantly evolving, and with the new Google Glass gadgets gradually making their way into consumers’ homes we should all address the consequences of the tech-dependent lifestyle to which we are adopting.

“A smart phone is not food or air,” said McChesney. “It can make you more socially-active and give you more options to contact people, but it is like a cup of coffee. We don’t really need it.”

Wagepoint Launches Pay, a New Online Payroll App

August 29, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

There are no jobs more important than making sure every worker gets correct payment for their time and efforts. HR managers and business owners across the country will agree that managing salary and hourly pay, while subtracting benefits and such without proper tools is a complicated task.

Luckily, Toronto-based payroll software company Wagepoint has launched a new online application that will make the painstaking process a more bearable and—dare I say— even enjoyable endevour. The fully automated, cloud-based payroll software can be set up with just a few clicks.

There are two plans that users can choose from. The Free plan offers the fully featured app as an alternative to the CRA calculator. But for a $20 base fee and $2 per employee per payroll, users with the Pro plan are allowed to use the direct deposit feature, enabling administration to deposit funds straight to the employees or contractors’ bank accounts. Also the Pro plan takes care of the government remittances and issues T4s at the end of the year.

Wagepoint’s Pay offers many more features that separates it from the common spreadsheets and data entry software administration uses to manage wages. These features include employee self-service, which reduces paper trails and waste, while allowing employees to access their electronic paystubs anytime.

Another one of Pay’s features is helping to manage the different type of workers that needs to receive compensation: hourly versus salaried and employees versus independent contractors. With Pay all the data will be centralized so all workers will receive the appropriate amount with less errors and confusion.

After the first payroll with Pay, businesses can choose to use the Auto-Run Payroll feature to manage their payments if there is nothing new to report. This feature can be turned off at anytime, but if left on it will automatically send payments to employees and the government at the appointed time.

Wagepoint makes the payroll task light and easy, but they also understand the critical importance of security. Pay’s data is encrypted using 128-bit secure socket layer (SSL) encryption. Wagepoint utilizes state of the art firewall and backup technology and the data is kept in a high-security, access-controlled Tier 3 facilities.

Tapped Mobile Launches in Canada with Top Tech Partners and Brands

August 29, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Last week, Tapped Mobile announced its official launch in Canada, offering brands a new approach to marketing.

The Canadian mobile advertising market will grow by over $135 million this year, and Tapped Mobile is partnering up with leading mobile ad tech companies to bring the highest quality products and services to Canadians.

Some features that Tapped Mobile’s partnerships will deliver are store-level mobile location data, first video ad units with social sharing, several in-stream video ad units, location-based retargeting, mobile research and many more.

Tapped Mobile was founded by Jed Schneiderman, Eric Shedletsky and Mark Shedletsky in 2012 with its headquarter in Toronto. The executive team combines for over 25 years of marketing, ad sales and mobile start-up experience.

“We scour the world for the best mobile ad technologies,” said Tapped Mobile President Jed Schneiderman. “We screen them vigorously and bring the best ones to Canada so that you can be ahead of the curve, delivering huge value to your brand and reaching your consumers in the most trusted and proven ways possible.”

Schneiderman was a senior management at Microsoft and CTV before he founded Tapped Mobile. He also took on a strategic marketing role at MTV, AOL, and Procter & Gamble.

Several Canada’s top brands have already signed on with Tapped Mobile. After six months of operation Tapped Mobile have been advertising across different sectors including wireless, cable, auto, consumer packaged goods, QSR, travel and more.

“We ensure each and every campaign is optimized in three ways” said Co-Founder of Tapped Mobile, Eric Shedletsky. “First, we help our clients leverage the best mobile technologies; then, we pinpoint the exact right audience across a huge list of top tier publishers and utilize the best performing ad units to deliver strong ROI.”

Brands and companies are paramount to technological innovations and Tapped Mobile, with its respected reputation will be expected to deliver top-notch ad tech for companies across the country. With Canada’s mobile marketing industry in high demand, there is no better place to start than here.

My Filipino Post-Drinking Meal: Balut Eggs

August 27, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Formerly published in TofuMag.com August 3 2013

By Elliot Chan

The tricycle engine roared loudly down the silent Bayombong streets. I had my fair share of gin and I was drunk enough to do anything, but I had no idea where I was. Gripping onto the sidecar of the tricycle, all I knew was I was following my friend’s family through the small residential back alleys in the Philippines, or were they the main roads, it is hard to tell here.

We finally came to a stop and we all squeezed out, all six of us on a motorbike and a sidecar. There was a hawker’s stand on the corner of the street. Several lights hung above casting a haunting glare. A lady stood in the shadows; she had a bowl in front of her. I approached—undaunted, uncertain. A pile of eggs sat in the little porcelain nest. Someone gestured to one of them and I helped myself. But before I could grab one, the lady selected one on my behalf. She struck it with a spoon, ripped off the shattered shards and handed it to me.

Perhaps I should have had the classic Western reaction to an egg embryo, but I’m Chinese. I had duck embryo before. Still the idea of serving eggs on the side of a street in the middle of the night was still far enough from the norm for me to enjoy the novelty.

I was too drunk to pick at the bits and pieces of the little baby bird, so I just shoved the whole thing into my mouth. I felt the feather, an uncommonfeeling against my tongue. But that sensation was dwarfed by the sudden crunch of the bone. I bit down and a tangy, yet savory flavour. It was a surprising taste, that wasn’t horrible. The texture confused my tongue as it wrapped around the orb of yoke beneath the skeleton. It was still solid so I needed another bite. The hemisphere separated into two crumbling bits. There was no room in my mouth to do anything else—I must swallow.

My memories are unclear, whether the digesting process took a long time, or if I had inserted another embryo into my mouth before I finished the first, I wasn’t sure. I was enjoying myself, but my companions were grimacing. I felt a little pride, though I know there really wasn’t anything to be proud of. I expected a complement from the locals, but there was nothing to complement. All I really did was eat an egg. But when you come from the West where stores don’t even open pass midnight, finding an egg embryo stand in the dead of nightwas something worth celebrating.